HOW  70    • 
Sl^DY  BIPEDS 

BY  HERBERT  K  JOB 


LIBRARY 

University  ol 

California 

Irvine 


Pair  of  adult  Great  Blue  Herons  on  nest.      (Telephoto.) 


HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 


A   PRACTICAL  GUIDE   FOR   AMATEUR 
BIRD-LOVERS  AND  CAMERA-HUNTERS 


BY 
HERBERT  KEIGHTLEY  JOB 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  SPORT  OF  BIRD-STUDY,"  "WILD  WINGS,' 

"AMONG  THE  WATER-FOWL";  MEMBER  OF  "THE 
AMERICAN  ORNITHOLOGISTS'  UNION,"  ETC. 


ILL  USTRA  TED    WITH  \PHO  TOGRAPHS 
FROM  LIFE  BY  THE  A  UTHOR 


NEW    YORK 

OUTING    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 
MCMX 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 
OUTING  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


Entered  at  Stationers'  Hall,  London,  England 
All  rights  reserved 


TO  MY  FRIENDS  AND  COMPANIONS  IN   BIRD-STUDY 

AND 
ALL  THE  GREAT  AND  GROWING  ARMY  OF  BIRD-LOVERS 


FOREWORD 

The  purpose  of  this  book  is  to  give,  simply,  clearly, 
and  thoroughly,  every  possible  suggestion  and  bit  of 
practical  information  which  may  be  useful  to  those 
who  are  beginning  the  fascinating  study  of  birds  in 
their  native  haunts. 

Very  many  are  undertaking  it  in  these  days  —  men 
who  crave  the  excitement  of  the  chase  and  yet  dis- 
like to  kill,  or  who  seek  relaxation  from  the  strain 
of  business ;  women  who  are  tired  of  being  hothouse 
plants,  or  whose  nerves  are  at  the  breaking-point  from 
an  unnatural  sedentary  life;  boys  and  girls  in  the 
schools  who  are  finding  that  delight  in  the  animal 
creation  does  not  cease  when  they  are  no  longer  little 
children;  teachers  who  realize  the  importance  and 
interest  of  the  subject  for  the  young,  and  desire  to  fit 
themselves  to  interest  their  pupils  in  the  birds.  But 
it  is  all  new  and  perplexing,  and  there  are  a  multi- 
tude of  things  they  want  to  ask  about,  all  sorts  of 
inquiries  as  how  to  go  to  work  to  study  the  birds 
afield.  It  is  hoped  that  this  book  placed  in  their 
hands  may  prove  a  ready  friend  to  answer  these 
questions  to  their  satisfaction  and  to  start  them  upon 
a  happy  career  of  outdoor  delights  among  the  wild 
birds. 

vii 


viii  FOREWORD 

Plenty  of  good  books  on  ornithology  have  been 
written  describing  each  species  of  bird  as  to  its  ap- 
pearance and  life-habits,  but  I  am  not  aware  that 
anyone  has  undertaken  to  bring  together  in  fairly 
complete  form  all  the  information  that  is  needed  to 
enable  the  beginner  to  get  the  utmost  pleasure  and 
good  out  of  the  modern  outdoor  study  of  birds. 
Equipped  with  a  handbook  of  birds  for  identifica- 
tions, and  with  this  HANDBOOK  OF  METHOD 
• — which  is  an  embodiment  of  the  author's  thirty 
years'  experience  afield  —  to  show  one  HOW  to 
study  birds  in  life  and  to  suggest  the  many  possi- 
bilities of  the  subject,  it  is  hoped  that  the  beginner 
in  the  delightful  pastime  and  avocation  of  outdoor 
bird-study  may  be  thoroughly  armed  for  the  fray, 
and  that  many  may  be  encouraged  to  study  the  birds 
who  without  such  suggestion  and  aid  might  fail  to 
become  interested  or  hesitate  to  undertake  it. 

HERBERT  K.  JOB. 
West  Haven,  Connecticut, 
November,  1909. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.    BEGINNINGS  OF  BIRD-STUDY 15 

II.    METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT 25 

III.  IDENTIFYING  BIRDS 37 

IV.  WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS 49 

V.  LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  AND  NOTES     ....  63 

VI.  THE  SPRING  MIGRATION 75 

VII.  THE  NESTING  SEASON 87 

VIII.    NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME 101 

IX.    THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT '.  115 

X.    KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS 127 

XI.    How  TO  FIND  BIRDS  OF  PREY 141 

XII.    FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS 155 

XIII.  CAMERA  HUNTING  AND  OUTFIT 169 

XIV.  USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA 183 

XV.  SHOOTING  WITH  REFLECTING  CAMERA  ....  203 

XVI.  BIRD-LOVERS'  VACATION  EXPEDITIONS  .     .     .     .  215 

XVII.    BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS  .     ; 229 

XVIII.    SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY 241 

XIX.    BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS 251 


IX 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Pair  of  adult  Great  Blue  Herons  on  nest  .     .     .  Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Snowy  Egret  on  nest,  showing  aigrette  plumes   .     .     .     .  16 

Blue-winged  Warbler  feeding  young 20 

Song  Sparrow  about  to  enter  nest 20 

Oven-Bird  leaving  nest 26 

Mrs.  Bob-White  leaving  nest 26 

Northern  Yellow-Throat,  after  feeding  young 32 

Ruby-Throated  Hummer  alighting  on  nest 32 

Remarkably  tame  female  Scarlet  Tanager 40 

Nest  of  Veery,  showing  how  to  photograph  a  nest  ...  40 

Male  Rose-Breasted  Grosbeak 50 

"  The  best-known  door-yard  bird  is  doubtless  the  Robin  "  .  50 
Laughing  Gulls  on  Breton  Island  Reservation,  La.   .     .     .56 

Brown  Thrasher  attacking  the  camera  man 64 

Study  of  young  Cedar-Birds 64 

Bluebird  entering  nest  to  feed  young 70 

Female   Redstart   feeding  young 70 

Woodcock  dabbling  in  margins 78 

Woodcock  running,  showing  "flag" 78 

Nest  of  Blue-Winged  Warbler 88 

Nest  of  Northern  Yellow-Throat  ....  .88 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Nighthawk  leaving  nest  near  foot  of  weed 94 

Nighthawk  nesting  on  low  rock  in  open  field 94 

White-Eyed  Vireo  delivering  a  large  contract 102 

White-Eyed  Vireo  "  frozen  "  at  nest .  102 

Long-Billed  Marsh  Wren  at  nest 108 

Virginia  Rail  on  nest 108 

Breeding  Royal  and  Cabot's  Terns,  Louisiana  Reservation  .  116 

Chickadee  at  lunch-counter 128 

White-Breasted  Nuthatch,  attracted  by  suet 128 

Entire  Kingbird  family  at  nest 132 

Flock  of  Pine  Grosbeaks  near  house  .........  132 

Young  Broad- Winged  Hawks 142 

Great  Horned  Owl  incubating 142 

Young    Red-Tailed   Hawk 150 

Sharp-Shinned  Hawk 150 

Breeding  colony  of  Royal  and  Cabot's  Terns,  Louisiana  .     .  158 

Scoters,  or  "  Sea-Coots,"  migrating 164 

Turnstones 164 

Nest  of  Whip-poor-will 184 

Whip-poor-will  on  nest 184 

Young  Phoebes       •.»-.-.  188 

Song  Sparrow  finally  caught  leaving  nest   .     .     «     .     .     .188 

Broad-Winged  Hawk  entering  nest 194 

Kittiwake  nesting  on  cliff,  Great  Bird  Rock 204 

Sooty  Tern  incubating,  Florida  Keys 204 

Bittern  on  the  beach  assuming  the  hiding  pose 210 

Bittern  on  nest  defying  the  photographer  ......  210 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING  PAGE 

Greater  Shearwater  and  Wilson's  Petrels 218 

Turnstones  and  Sandpipers  on  sandy  beach 218 

Home  scene  in  rookery  of  Black-Crowned  Night  Herons  .  222 

View  in  Great  Blue  Heron  colony 222 

Young  Cooper's  Hawk,  just  out  of  nest 234 

Pet  Sparrow  Hawk,  eating  dinner 242 

Louisiana  Heron  at  nest •     •  242 

Flicker  near  low  nest-hole  by  road .     .  254 

Industrious  Downy  Woodpecker  at  work  ........  254 


HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

CHAPTER  I 

BEGINNINGS  OF  BIRD  STUDY 

ONE  auspicious  day  in  June  I  discovered  a 
hummingbird's  nest.  I  was  a  small  boy, 
and  lived  in  a  suburb  of  Boston  called  Rox- 
bury,  near  the  edge  of  Brookline,  on  a  fine  old  colo- 
nial estate,  where  the  new  Harvard  Medical  School 
buildings  now  stand.  There  were  six  acres  of  lawn, 
garden,  shrubbery,  and  orchard,  overarched  by  great 
elms  and  other  shade  trees.  On  one  side  of  the 
house  was  a  row  of  alternate  Norway  spruce  and 
larch  trees.  A  tiny  hummingbird  had  been  visiting 
the  flowers  about  the  house,  and  one  day  I  saw  her 
fly  to  her  nest  out  near  the  end  of  one  of  the  lower 
branches  of  the  first  larch  tree.  There  were  young 
in  it  at  this  particular  time,  but  within  a  few  days 
they  had  departed,  and  I  brought  a  step-ladder  and 
took  down  the  nest.  Never  can  I  forget  my  feelings 
of  wonder  and  admiration  as  I  gazed  upon  the  ex- 
quisite little  cup  built  of  silky  fibers,  coated  with 
lichens.  It  was  a  revelation  of  loveliness  which  laid 

15 


1 6  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

strong  hold  upon  my  sensibilities,  giving  me  a  dis- 
tinct impetus  from  which  I  never  recovered.  This 
is  the  earliest  incident  about  a  bird  outdoors  of  which 
I  have  any  recollection. 

By  another  process  I  was  being  prepared  to  en- 
tertain such  interests.  In  our  home  we  were  so  for- 
tunate as  to  have  a  set  of  that  great  work,  Audubon's 
"  Birds  of  America,"  the  original  octavo  edition,  in 
seven  volumes,  with  a  colored  plate  of  each  species 
of  bird.  These  pictures  absolutely  fascinated  me 
with  a  peculiar  witchery  which  I  cannot  describe, 
but  which  was  simply  irresistible.  In  time  I  came 
to  have  the  feeling  that  I  must  find  these  birds  for 
myself.  And  when  I  found  one  or  another  which  I 
had  been  studying  from  the  book,  and  for  the  first 
time  was  actually  face  to  face  with  it  in  real  life, 
there  came  over  me  a  feeling  of  unutterable  rapture. 

At  the  age  of  twelve  there  began  another  develop- 
ment. I  went  that  summer  on  a  visit  to  a  family  in 
the  country  in  which  there  was  a  boy  of  thirteen  who 
had  begun  to  collect  and  "  stuff  "  birds.  His  process 
was  one  of  "  curing."  He  removed  the  "  insides," 
filled  the  cavity,  throat,  and  mouth  with  arsenic  and 
cotton,  and  mounted  the  bird  with  wires  thrust 
through  its  anatomy.  The  array  of  shriveled  mum- 
mies looked  sorry  enough,  yet  I  took  to  it  like  a  duck 
to  the  water.  When  I  returned  home  there  was  no 
peace  until  I  had  a  small  single-barreled  shotgun. 
During  the  first  week  I  came  within  an  ace  of  blow- 
ing off  my  brother's  feet,  and  narrow  escapes  fol- 


Snowy  Egret  on   nest,   showing  aigrette  plumes.     This   is  when 
plume-hunters  shoot  them,  leaving  young  to  starve. 


BEGINNINGS  OF  BIRD  STUDY        17 

lowed  in  rapid  succession.  It  is  wonderful  that  I  am 
alive  to  tell  the  tale. 

Before  long  I  learned  how  to  skin  birds,  and  so 
gave  up  the  mummy  process.  The  first  specimen  I 
tackled  had  no  feathers  on  it  when  I  got  through, 
but  I  persevered.  My  parents,  however,  were  averse 
to  the  use  of  arsenic,  so  I  bought  a  certain  naturalist's 
"  dermal  preservative,"  and  in  time  built  up  quite  a 
collection.  One  day  I  noticed  that  a  specimen  looked 
somewhat  awry  and  undertook  to  smooth  it.  The 
result  was  that  almost  every  feather  dropped  off  at 
the  first  touch.  The  dermestes  larvae  had  been  busy 
and  had  riddled  every  skin  "  preserved "  with 
the  "  insect-food."  The  older  and  less  skilled  crea- 
tions which  had  been  treated  with  arsenic  were  intact. 

The  question  is  often  asked  whether  interest  in 
birds  can  be  aroused  and  maintained  without  killing 
and  collecting.  The  best  answer  is  simply  one  of 
fact,  that  to-day  there  are  thousands  of  bird-students, 
true  enthusiasts,  who  never  kill  a  bird  or  rob  a  nest. 
In  these  days  there  are  very  many  interesting,  inspir- 
ing books  about  birds,  with  good  illustrations,  nu- 
merous collections  of  birds  in  museums,  and  many 
fellow  bird-lovers  with  whom  to  associate.  Hunting 
with  the  camera  satisfies  the  natural  desire  for  pos- 
sessing and  acquiring,  upon  which  the  almost  universal 
collecting  instinct  is  based. 

Had  these  things  been  in  my  boyhood  as  they  are 
now,  I  am  sure  that  I  could  have  learned  the  birds 
and  enjoyed  myself  just  as  much  by  the  modern 


f8  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

methods  which  I  shall  describe.  While  it  is  true  that 
the  science  of  ornithology  could  not  have  existed  with- 
out the  collecting  of  specimens  by  naturalists,  it  does 
not  require  killing  by  all  or  many  who  engage  in  it, 
for  otherwise  women  and  girls  would  be  largely  de- 
barred, and  it  would  be  wrong  to  popularize  birds 
as  is  now  being  done,  for  it  would  simply  mean  their 
extermination.  Let  a  few  scientists  attend  to  the 
technical  side  of  ornithology,  and  the  museums  pre- 
pare the  necessary  specimens,  while  the  great  mass  of 
bird-lovers  reap  the  fruit  of  their  labors. 

To  give  an  idea  of  how  intense  was  the  fascination 
of  birds  over  me  in  those  early  days,  suggesting  as 
well  how  others  feel,  I  will  mention  a  few  incidents  of 
that  period.  I  recall  one  morning  in  May,  rising 
very  early  indeed  and  walking  some  five  miles  out 
into  the  country,  reaching  my  beloved  haunts  when  it 
was  so  dark  that  I  sat  on  a  fence  waiting  for  the  birds 
to  awaken  and  for  light  to  make  it  possible  to  see 
them.  Another  time  I  gave  up  my  Thanksgiving 
dinner  to  spend  the  whole  day  tramping  the  beaches 
at  Scituate,  watching  the  sea-birds,  particularly  the 
loons  and  marine  ducks  diving  through  the  breakers. 
My  Thanksgiving  feast  consisted  of  two  sandwiches, 
—  and  the  birds. 

On  another  occasion,  in  early  May,  to  watch  the 
migration  of  the  shore-birds,  being  unable  to  secure 
a  companion,  I  betook  myself  to  the  Marshfield  salt 
marshes,  and  slept  alone  in  a  Humane  Society  shanty 
back  of  the  beach.  I  had  no  covering,  and  was  so 


BEGINNINGS  OF  BIRD  STUDY        19 

cold  that  I  was  driven  out  on  the  beach  at  I  A.M. 
to  collect,  by  moonlight,  not  owls,  but  fire-wood. 
One  Saturday,  in  winter,  I  was  booked  for  an  all-day's 
tramp.  I  had  been  feeling  unwell  and  strangely  inac- 
tive, and  when  I  started  it  seemed  wonderfully  hard 
to  walk,  but  I  thought  the  lethargy  would  be  forgot- 
ten when  I  saw  the  birds.  Finally,  about  eight  miles 
from  home,  I  laid  down  on  a  snow-bank  almost  ex- 
hausted. It  was  off  from  any  line  of  transportation, 
so  somehow  or  other  I  managed  to  drag  myself  home. 
The  doctor  was  at  once  summoned  and  found  it  a 
severe  case  of  measles.  It  was  weeks  before  I  saw 
the  birds  again. 

This  is  the  sort  of  spirit  which  is  animating  thou- 
sands of  people  in  these  days  who  are  interested,  or 
becoming  interested,  in  birds;  not  because  bird-study 
is  a  fad,  but  because  they  find  real  pleasure  in  it. 
There  is  no  question  but  that  the  birds  as  a  class  have 
peculiar  elements  of  popularity.  They  are  living 
and  animated,  beautiful  in  form  and  color,  with 
powers  of  flight  and  song,  not  dangerous,  of  con- 
venient size,  and,  as  yet,  sufficiently  numerous  to  be 
found  without  too  great  difficulty. 

The  last  statement  is  not  true,  in  most  sections  of 
the  country,  with  mammals.  There  are  but  few 
species  to  be  found,  and  nearly  all  of  these  are  scarce, 
shy,  and  mostly  nocturnal,  so  that  to  specialize  in 
their  study  would  be  too  discouraging  to  be  popular. 
Most  people  cannot  enjoy  insects  and  reptiles,  and 
fish  are  more  easily  hooked  than  studied.  Botany 


20  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

and  geology  are  delightful,  and  many  bird-lovers  are 
versed  in  these  also,  yet  there  is  nothing  so  interest- 
ing as  life.  I  do  not  wonder  that  I  was  fascinated 
by  the  birds,  and  that  it  has  become  the  most  popular 
branch  of  nature-study. 

Indeed  those  who  acquire  this  taste  and  interest 
are  to  be  congratulated.  One  misses  a  great  deal 
who  does  not  have  some  outdoor  interest  as  a  means 
to  health,  vigor,  and  relaxation.  It  is  well  not  only 
to  dabble  a  little  with  birds,  but  to  gain  sufficient  grip 
on  the  subject  to  make  it  a  matter  of  life-long  interest. 
Even  if  unable  to  keep  up  active  field-work,  as  the 
cares  of  life  increase,  one  can  always  dip  into  it  at 
any  time  again,  during  vacations  and  holidays.  I 
have  seen  this  illustrated  many  a  time  by  busy  men 
who  were  interested  in  birds  during  boyhood  and 
have  never  completely  lost  their  interest. 

The  beginning  of  bird-study  is  a  critical  time,  the 
period  of  greatest  *'  mortality,"  as  with  all  infancy. 
A  good  many  try  it  a  little,  become  discouraged  over 
the  difficulties,  and  drop  out.  But  if  one  can  only 
persevere  through  the  early  stages,  there  is  a  wealth 
of  enjoyment  ahead.  In  most  cases,  as  it  was  in  my 
own,  the  awakening  of  interest  in  birds  is  a  gradual 
process.  One  is  impressed  with  some  incident  in 
bird-life  and  begins  to  notice  things  which  never  be- 
fore had  won  attention.  Some  friend,  fond  of  birds, 
inveigles  one  into  an  occasional  jaunt  afield.  The 
first  thing  the  beginner  knows,  he  or  she  has  caught 


Blue-winged  Warbler  feeding  young,  showing  posing  of  young  for 
feeding  picture. 

—pp.  191-2 


Song  Sparrow  about  to  enter  nest. 

— p. 105 


BEGINNINGS  OF  BIRD  STUDY        21 

the  fever  and  becomes  a  devotee  of  the  delightful 
pastime-study. 

The  present  widespread  interest  in  birds  has 
aroused  strong  demand  for  their  adequate  protection 
and  produced  such  organized  efforts  as  the  Bureau  of 
Biological  Survey,  the  Audubon  Society,  game  protec- 
tive associations,  and  a  flood  of  splendid  literature. 
It  has  become  distinctly  unpopular  to  kill  wild  birds, 
except  edible  birds  for  food,  and  that  in  great  moder- 
ation. A  multitude  of  people  enjoy  the  live  bird  in 
the  open  for  its  own  sake,  for  its  esthetic  value,  and 
demand  that  there  shall  be  birds  to  enjoy. 

I  heard  this  aspect  of  the  subject  forcibly  pre- 
sented at  a  legislative  hearing  by  a  high  school  prin- 
cipal. He  told  how  his  pupils,  many  of  them,  found 
great  delight  through  the  birds.  In  winter  they  en- 
joyed the  gulls  and  ducks  about  the  docks  and  bays, 
and  spring  brought  a  panorama  of  new  wonders. 
They  watched  birds,  laughed  over  their  amusing 
ways,  and  made  them  a  live  topic  of  thought  and  con- 
versation. The  gunners  were  trying  to  repeal  the 
"  Model  Law,"  so  as  to  get  a  longer  season  for  kill- 
ing. 

"  Gentlemen,"  exclaimed  the  teacher,  "  I  want  you 
to  realize  that  we  bird-lovers  claim  just  as  much 
right  to  the  birds  as  the  gunners.  There  are  more  of 
us,  and  we  get  as  much  profit  and  pleasure  from  the 
birds  in  our  way  as  the  hunters  do  in  theirs.  We 
insist  upon  our  right  to  have  and  enjoy  wild  birds 


22  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

about  us,  and  we  shall  feel  wronged  and  outraged  if 
our  rights  are  not  respected." 

There  may  be  some  ignorant  persons  who  sneer  at 
such  a  thing  as  esthetic  value,  yet  it  is  very  real.  The 
price  that  a  house  will  bring  depends  a  good  deal 
upon  how  it  is  painted,  and  the  effect  of  the  bird  upon 
the  character  and  achievement  of  the  young  may  be 
very  great.  Pleasure  is  an  asset  that  must  be  reck- 
oned with,  and  the  birds  give  pleasure  to  a  large  num- 
ber of  people.  They  are  a  diversion,  a  solace,  a  rest, 
an  antidote  for  the  strain  and  stress  of  life,  besides 
being  of  absolute  necessity  to  agriculture,  and  thus 
essential  to  the  very  existence  of  the  human  race  on 
earth.  We  do  well  to  demand  their  adequate  protec- 
tion and  to  go  out  ourselves  into  the  open  to  study 
them  and  to  add  species  after  species  to  the  list  of 
our  circle  of  friends. 


METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT 


CHAPTER  II 

METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT 

THERE  is  no  one  correct  "  method  "  in  bird- 
study,  any  more  than  there  is  in  learning  to 
play  the  piano.  Our  object  is  to  be  able 
to  recognize  the  birds  when  we  see  them,  to  become 
as  familiar  as  possible  with  their  habits,  haunts,  and 
seasons,  to  find  out  what  and  how  many  species  are 
to  be  found  in  a  region  or  locality,  and  perhaps  take 
photographs  of  them.  So  long  as  we  are  able  to 
accomplish  these  results,  it  makes  little  difference  how 
we  do  it;  there  is  no  compulsory  order  or  exact 
program.  Nevertheless  there  are  things  which 
sooner  or  later  must  be  done  and  must  be  learned 
in  some  way.  Suggestions  will  facilitate  progress, 
and,  by  avoiding  waste  of  time  and  through  secur- 
ing greater  efficiency  from  the  first,  the  student  will 
advance  more  rapidly  and  avoid  becoming  dis- 
couraged and  abandoning  the  attempt  to  know  the 
birds. 

At  the  outset,  in  undertaking  to  study  birds,  it  will 

be  of  great  help  to  have  some  intelligent  idea  of  the 

classes  or  types  of  birds  with  which  we  may  become 

acquainted.     Most  people  know  a  sparrow,  a  hawk, 

25 


26  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

or  a  duck  when  they  see  it.  There  are  various  kinds 
or  species  of  sparrows,  hawks,  and  ducks,  but  the 
several  species  in  each  of  these  groups  have  "  a  family 
likeness,"  certain  general  characteristics  in  common. 
Now  there  are  not  so  many  of  these  groups  but  that 
one  can  give  a  distinct  idea  of  each  without  too  great 
effort.  Then,  when  a  bird  is  clearly  seen,  one  will 
have  a  pretty  good  idea  as  to  where  it  belongs,  and 
will  only  have  to  compare  descriptions  of  a  few  species 
to  find  the  right  one. 

There  is  a  great  difference  in  the  state  of  mind  of 
the  person  equipped  with  this  knowledge  who  tries  to 
identify  birds  and  that  of  another  who  encounters  the 
birds  afield  without  it.  I  recall  most  vividly  my  first 
meeting,  when  a  boy,  with  a  certain  common  bird,  and 
how  utterly  puzzled  I  was.  One  day  in  late  autumn, 
as  I  passed  through  a  grove  in  the  suburbs  of  Boston, 
I  came  close  upon  a  tiny  bird  with  a  small,  rather 
sharp  bill,  black  crown  and  throat,  gray  back,  and 
white  underparts.  It  was  busily  examining  the  ends 
of  the  branches,  sometimes  hanging  head  down,  often 
uttering  a  series  of  animated  notes. 

I  had  not  the  remotest  idea  what  the  bird  could  be. 
Never  had  I  seen  anything  like  it.  Perhaps  it  was  a 
new  species,  that  wonder  which  beginners  sometimes 
hope  to  find  in  the  most  thoroughly  explored  re- 
gions! At  home  I  had  a  great  time  searching  the 
bird-books  from  cover  to  cover.  At  last,  slowly  and 
painfully,  I  became  convinced  that  it  was  only  a  com- 
mon chickadee  I  Had  I  spent  a  little  time  before  in 


Oven-Bird  leaving  nest. 


—pp.  103-4 


Mrs.  Bob-White  leaving  nest. 


METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT         27 

a  "  bird's-eye  view  "  I  should  have  known  it  could 
not  have  Been  anything  else  than  a  titmouse  or  nut- 
hatch, unless  possibly  a  warbler.  Here  is  another 
case  when,  after  taking  the  bird's-eye  view,  an  iden- 
tification was  comparatively  easy.  Along  a  roadside, 
in  some  choke-cherry  shrubbery  I  saw  a  bird  about  the 
size  of  a  bluebird,  with  a  rather  sharp  bill  and  of  a 
general  olive  and  yellowish  hue  with  a  black  patch  on 
the  throat.  I  knew  at  once  it  must  be  some  sort  of  an 
oriole.  It  was  not  the  Baltimore,  and  the  orchard 
oriole  was  the  only  other  kind  known  to  occur  in 
New  England.  But  I  had  never  seen  a  female  or- 
chard oriole  with  a  black  throat.  So,  what  could  it 
be  but  some  rare  tropical  species  which  had  strayed 
up  there!  An  excited  looking  up  of  the  orchard 
oriole  showed  that  this  was  the  plumage  of  the  young 
male  in  the  second  year.  But  for  my  having  in  mind 
the  general  characteristics  of  the  oriole  group,  it 
would  have  been  quite  a  problem  to  trace  this  out. 

The  best  course  for  beginning  to  become  familiar 
with  these  groups  is  to  find  out  in  the  bird-books  what 
are  the  principal  groups  represented  in  the  region 
where  one  lives.  Then,  if  possible,  go  to  a  museum 
and  examine  a  few  of  the  species  in  each  group.  In 
this  way  one  will  get  a  very  vivid  idea  of  family  re- 
semblances, and  it  will  be  a  mighty  help  afield.  If 
there  is  ho  museum  near,  make  the  same  study  from 
pictures  of  birds.  In  case  there  are  none  at  home, 
the  public  library  may  help  out. 

In  order  to  be  properly  equipped  for  good  work 


28  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

it  is  necessary  to  secure  certain  pieces  of  apparatus,-— 
notably  a  field  glass  and  a  handbook  of  birds.  As 
to  the  first,  I  would  state  emphatically  that  it  is  not  at 
all  necessary  to  purchase  anything  expensive  or  cum- 
bersome. An  ordinary  opera  glass  will  do  very  well. 
Combine  the  qualities  of  a  reasonably  high  power 
and  a  light  weight.  It  does  not  necessarily  follow 
that  a  glass  is  so  very  "  strong  "  because  it  is  heavy. 
What  one  wants  in  a  glass  is  mainly  to  be  able  to  see 
birds  clearly  enough  to  identify  them,  and  a  good 
ordinary  glass  of  fair  size,  the  best  one  can  get  for  a 
moderate  expenditure,  will  suffice  for  all-round  work. 
Such  a  glass  is  as  good  as  any  other  for  work  in  a 
swamp,  shrubbery,  or  foliage,  where  the  birds,  to  be 
seen  at  all,  are  encountered  at  close  range. 

Under  conditions  of  this  sort  a  very  high-power 
glass  is  not  only  unnecessary,  but  distinctly  not  so 
good,  as  it  is  very  hard  to  get  the  bird  in  the  field  of 
vision  and  in  focus.  With  the  ordinary  opera  glass 
one  can  pick  up  a  bird  in  the  thicket  almost  instantly, 
whereas  with  the  other  it  becomes  a  vexatious  hunt, 
and  by  the  time  one  has  got  the  range,  the  bird  may 
very  likely  have  departed. 

For  work  at  long  range  in  trie  open,  an  8-power 
binocular  is  a  wonderful  aid.  With  one  of  these  I 
remember  watching  a  flock  of  those  exceedingly  wary 
birds,  great  black-backed  gulls.  They  were  at  the 
water's  edge  on  a  very  wide  beach  at  low  tide,  and  I 
was  peering  over  the  sand-dunes,  probably  three  hun- 
dred yards  away.  They  did  not  see  me,  and  were 


METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT         29 

quietly  resting  and  preening  their  feathers.  The 
glass  brought  them  so  "  near  "  to  me  that  I  could  see 
when  one  opened  its  bill,  and  clearly  distinguished 
every  motion. 

In  an  open  place  one  can  watch  a  warbler  in  the  top 
of  a  tall  tree,  and  see  every  detail  of  form  and  color 
from  such  a  distance  that  without  a  glass  the  bird 
would  be  practically  invisible.  There  is  a  hawk 
watching  for  prey,  outlined  against  the  sky  on  the 
bare  limb  of  a  tree  far  across  the  fields.  It  would 
not  allow  us  to  approach  within  a  hundred  and  fifty 
yards,  but  with  the  glass  we  can  tell  what  it  is  almost 
as  well  as  though  we  could  walk  right  up  to  it.  One 
is  fortunate  to  have  a  glass  of  this  sort,  especially  as 
the  glass  is  light  and  compact.  But  if  not,  there  is 
no  need  to  be  discouraged,  for  some  of  the  very  best 
ornithologists  get  along  with  an  ordinary  glass,  and 
for  work  in  thick  places  one  will  do  better  with  the 
latter  than  with  the  former. 

As  to  the  handbook  of  ornithology,  one  that  is 
small  and  concise,  having  condensed  descriptions 
which  make  clear  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of 
the  species,  is  the  best  one  for  the  beginner.  These 
also  will  have  a  brief  sketch  of  each  bird's  habits,  with 
condensed  information  about  its  nesting,  notes,  and 
other  items.  Frank  M.  Chapman's  "  Handbook  of 
Birds  of  Eastern  North  America  "  is  the  best  general 
one  for  that  territory,  and  Mrs.  Florence  Merriam 
Bailey's  "Handbook  of  Western  Birds"  for  the 
West.  Ralph  Hoffman's  Handbook  is  excellent  for 


30  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

the  New  England  and  Middle  States.  These  books 
contain  convenient  "  keys  "  for  the  identification  of 
birds.  Sufficient  explanation  is  given  with  each  key; 
as  to  its  use. 

The  matter  of  making  records  of  observations 
afield  is  a  very  important  element  to  add  zest  and 
definiteness  to  the  study  of  birds.  This  is  imperative 
even  if  the  study  is  solely  for  recreation.  Merely  to 
see  and  identify  birds  is  very  pleasant  for  a  time,  but 
it  is  so  indefinite  that  one  is  liable  to  weary  of  it,  or 
merely  to  dabble  in  it  occasionally  in  a  languid  sort 
of  way.  But  if  things  are  put  down  in  black  and 
white  one  has  something  to  show,  something  perma- 
nent to  remember.  Besides,  the  future  use  of  the 
record  is  part  of  the  game,  as  we  shall  see  presently. 

One  should  carry  afield  on  every  jaunt  a  small,  or- 
dinary pocket  note-book  and  pencil.  Write  first  the 
date,  weather,  and  the  general  locality.  Then,  as  the 
first  individual  of  each  species  is  seen,  however  com- 
mon, put  down  the  name  at  once,  if  it  is  recognized. 
It  is  part  of  the  sport  to  find  as  many  birds  as  possible 
in  a  day  and  to  compare  the  list  with  that  of  others 
who  may  have  gone  afield  on  the  same  day,  or  the 
same  week.  Not  only  is  the  total  number  a  matter 
of  interest,  but  also  the  varieties  seen. 

A  friendly  rival  might,  for  example,  see  exactly  the 
same  number  of  species  that  we  did,  and  yet  one 
greatly  surpass  the  other  in  the  real  value  and  interest 
of  the  list  by  the  discovery  of  rare  or  uncommon 
kinds.  It  is  usually  more  of  an  achievement,  say,  to 


METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT         31 

find  an  owl  than  a  robin.  On  a  day  in  May,  during  a 
great  "  wave  "  of  migrating  warblers,  one  very  rare 
species  positively  identified  may  be  a  greater  "  strike  " 
than  the  recording  of  twenty  other  more  common 
ones.  It  will  be  of  great  interest  subsequently  to 
look  over  these  daily  records  and  see  how  the  abun- 
dance of  birds  in  general  varies,  how  the  personnel 
of  the  species  changes  from  time  to  time,  and  when 
this  or  that  one  is  first  or  last  seen.  As  each  year 
passes,  it  is  of  absorbing  interest  to  compare  the  re- 
cent notes  with  those  of  the  corresponding  time  the 
year  previous,  or  of  a  succession  of  years. 

The  mere  recording  of  each  species  seen  is  not 
enough.  As  birds  of  the  same  species  recur,  one  may 
add  marks  opposite  the  name,  up  to  the  point  where 
it  is  evident  that  this  or  that  is  abundant.  Record 
should  be  made,  in  just  a  few  "  catch-words,"  of  all 
items  of  interest  connected  with  birds'  habits.  It 
may  prove  that  some  little  point,  supposed  to  be  of  no 
value,  is  really  of  great  interest,  and  worthy  of  wide 
publicity.  If  the  nest  of  a  bird  is  found,  brief  record 
should  be  made  of  situation,  number,  and  condition 
of  eggs  or  young,  the  material  of  the  nest,  the  actions 
of  parents,  and  any  other  points  of  interest.  Casual 
notes  should  be  made  of  the  progress  of  the  season, 
which  will  prove  interesting  and  valuable  for  compar- 
ison year  by  year, —  the  first  and  last  snow  and  frost, 
the  first  hepatica  or  blood-root,  great  storms,  and  any 
unusual  conditions. 

There  are  some  quite  elaborately  prepared  field- 


32  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

books,  with  spaces  ruled  off  for  all  sorts  of  things, 
which  one  may  secure,  if  desired,  but  unless  one  is  go- 
ing very  extensively  into  migration  records  and  the 
like,  the  common  manila-covered  "  order-book " 
answers  every  purpose.  A  very  neat  way  is  to  have 
a  small  black  cloth-bound  cover  to  hold  perforated 
pages.  These  can  be  taken  out,  put  on  file,  and  later 
on  tied  or  bound  together,  others  being  inserted  as 
required. 

Besides  the  field  notes,  it  is  an  excellent  thing  to 
keep  a  journal  of  observations  and  experiences,  writ- 
ten up  at  home,  as  an  amplification  of  the  hasty  jot- 
tings of  the  field-notes.  This  is  not  essential,  in  a 
way.  Adults  who  lead  busy  lives  and  can  only  snatch 
brief  or  infrequent  intervals  for  jaunts  in  the  glorious 
open,  and  who  do  not  intend  to  go  into  the  subject 
very  earnestly,  of  course  may  feel  themselves  excused 
from  this.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  a  delightful  thing 
to  be  able  to  read  over  one's  past  experiences  in  years 
to  come.  But  for  the  young  I  earnestly  recommend 
the  keeping  of  a  journal.  Besides  being  a  great 
source  of  pleasure  afterwards,  it  furnishes  a  constant 
and  fruitful  field  for  facility  in  the  expression  of 
ideas,  which  may  lead  on  to  more  important  things. 
This  book,  for  instance,  is  a  direct  outcome  of  that 
habit. 

A  most  satisfying  and  useful  method  of  bird  study 
is  along  the  line  of  special  research.  For  this  one 
may  select  a  species  as  such,  or  a  phase  of  its  life,  as 
its  nesting  habits.  Or  else  some  general  topic  may 


fter  feeding  young.     "Going  some 


Ruby-Throated   Hummer    alighting   on  nest.     The   ordinary 

shutter  is  too  slow  for  wings. 


METHOD  AND  EQUIPMENT         33 

be  chosen, —  how  birds  start  on  migration,  where 
they  spend  the  night,  bird  psychology,  etc.  In  such 
ways  earnest  workers  may  contribute  to  science  and 
gain  recognition  therein. 

A  few  suggestions  as  to  clothing  may  not  be  amiss, 
though  in  bird-study  there  are  no  fashions  or  conven- 
tions along  this  line  to  be  respected.  The  most  use- 
ful of  all  articles  I  find  to  be  a  pair  of  long  rubber 
boots.  Those  that  merely  reach  to  the  knees  will 
neither  keep  one  dry  in  a  marsh,  nor  in  long  grass  or 
snow.  Clothing  had  better  be  of  subdued  hues,  to 
blend  inconspicuously  with  the  outdoor  surroundings; 
browns  or  grays  are  best.  Even  in  severe  winter 
weather  it  is  well  not  to  be  impeded  with  a  long  or 
heavy  overcoat.  It  must  be  pretty  cold  to  chill  one 
exercising  in  a  sweater. 

A  suit  and  cap  of  corduroy  are  well-nigh  proof 
against  cold,  but  they  are  too  hot  for  use  in  the 
warmer  seasons.  Then  one  might  use  something  of 
light  canvas,  though  it  is  exactly  as  well  to  wear  out 
one's  old  clothes.  A  light  rain-proof  coat  is  also 
needful.  On  long  drives  or  extended  trips  I  always 
plan  to  carry  one.  There  are  times  when  most  of  us 
"  bird-cranks "  wish  to  be  out  in  the  rain,  and 
equipped  with  waterproof  coat,  hat  and  boots,  it  is 
real  fun  to  defy  the  elements.  Thus  fitted  out  I  have 
had  glorious  times  tramping  the  sea-beaches  in  the 
northeast  hurricanes  or  made  splendid  finds  of  nests 
in  wet  grass  or  rushes  when  the  birds  were  sitting 
close. 


IDENTIFYING  BIRDS 


CHAPTER  III 

IDENTIFYING  BIRDS 

TO  many  uninitiated  persons  the  difficulties  of 
identifying  and  recognizing  birds  seem  insur- 
mountable. "  All  I  can  see,"  said  someone 
to  me,  "  is  a  speck,  and  then  a  streak  of  something 
flying,  and  it  is  gone.  They  all  look  alike  to  me." 
That  is  about  the  way  I  talked  to  a  fisherman  with 
whom  I  was  out  thirty  miles  off  Cape  Cod,  having 
great  times  catching  big  codfish,  haddock,  hake,  and 
halibut,  and  watching  Mother  Carey's  chickens  and 
shearwaters  and  the  school  of  finback  whales  which 
were  spouting  close  around  us. 

His  eyes,  though,  were  more  for  vessels  than  for 
birds.  The  fleet  of  "  shore  "  fishermen  were  scat- 
tered about  for  miles  over  the  "  Rocky  Grounds,"  in 
about  eighteen  fathoms  of  water.  Various  craft 
were  dimly  in  sight  —  or  out  of  sight  to  me  —  miles 
off  in  the  dim  haze. 

"  Hullo,  if  there  ain't  Rufe  Nickerson  'way  down 
to  the  sou'west!"  he  would  ejaculate.  "He's  got 
a  good  breeze  from  the  no'th-east.  And  there's  Cy 
Eldredge  hove  to,  'way  inshore,  getting  some  fish, 
too !  " 

37 


38  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

By  dint  of  straining  my  eyes  and  my  imagination,  I 
was  able,  after  quite  a  while,  to  say,  truthfully,  that 
I  saw  them,  or  rather  some  boats.  I  should  not  have 
noticed  them  unless  I  had  been  told  they  were  there, 
but  for  the  life  of  me  I  couldn't  have  told  whether 
it  was  Rufe  or  Cy,  or  Patrick  or  Vincenzo. 

"  I  don't  see  how  you  can  tell,"  I  said.  He 
laughed,  and  replied  that  it  was  as  plain  as  day. 
That  one  had  a  new  mainsail,  the  other's  jib  set  flat, 
and  there  were  a  lot  of  other  points  too  numerous  to 
mention  and  too  inconspicuous  to  attract  the  notice 
of  a  stranger,  even  when  they  were  along-side,  to  say 
nothing  of  miles  away  and  hull  down. 

The  fact  was  that  the  fisherman's  eyes  were  trained 
to  that  sort  of  thing,  and  it  was  perfectly  distinct  to 
him,  though  an  utter  bewilderment  to  the  novice.  So 
it  is,  in  a  measure,  with  the  birds.  Some  of  them  we 
encounter  at  close  range,  and  they  are  so  considerate 
as  to  delay  long  enough  to  give  us  a  good  look.  But 
others  seem  constitutionally  unable  to  "  be  aisy,"  or 
are  exceedingly  shy,  and  give  the  observer  but  a  fleet- 
ing glimpse.  The  latter  may  be  quite  enough  if  the 
bird  has  any  distinguishing  peculiarity.  If  not,  it 
will  be  evident  to  the  trained  observer  to  what  family 
the  bird  belongs,  if  he  has  had  any  sort  of  fair  though 
fleeting  glance  at  it.  One  can  in  time  come  to  know 
so  well  the  "  cut  of  the  jib  "  or  the  "  set  of  the  sail  " 
that  it  is  not  necessary  to  stare  into  the  eyes  ten  feet 
away  to  know  whether  it  is  Cy  or  Rufe. 

Size,  form  and  manner  of  flight  tell  a  great  deal, 


IDENTIFYING  BIRDS  39 

even  before  we  can  distinguish  color.  The  use  of 
their  wings  by  birds  in  flight  varies  very  greatly. 
The  chimney  swift  moves  its  wings  quite  rapidly  and 
continuously,  with  intervals  of  gliding,  and  they  are 
shaped  long  and  narrow  throughout.  The  little  hum- 
mer has  long  narrow  wings,  but  they  are  very  tiny 
and  move  so  fast  as  to  blur  to  the  sight.  The  swal- 
low's wings  are  pointed  and  broader  at  the  base  than 
the  swift's,  nor  do  they  move  quite  so  fast  or  so  irreg- 
ularly. The  nighthawk,  "  hawking "  about  over- 
head, is  larger,  and  the  long  wings  have  a  noticeable 
bend,  with  a  white  bar  on  each.  The  meadowlark, 
with  short,  rounded  wings,  flutters  and  sails  alter- 
nately. The  kingbird  poises  with  rapidly  quivering, 
extended  wings,  as  does  the  kingfisher,  but  when  the 
latter  starts  on,  it  proceeds  with  rather  slower  and 
more  decisive  flappings.  Most  sparrows  and  finches 
have  a  quick,  continuous  flight,  with  rapid  wing-beats 
in  succession  and  short  pauses,  but  some,  like  the  gold- 
finch, go  by  jerks,  rising  and  falling  in  deep  undula- 
tions, usually  calling  as  they  fly,  as  though  each  jerk 
forced  air  through  the  larynx.  The  woodpeckers 
also  have  a  wavy  flight,  but  they  are  larger,  and  can 
be  readily  distinguished. 

The  warblers  are  slender  little  birds  with  a  sort  of 
flickering  flight.  The  cuckoos  have  a  rather  steady, 
gliding  progression,  and  a  very  noticeable  length  of 
tail.  The  blue  jay's  long  tail  attracts  notice,  and  he 
progresses  by  a  regular  series  of  flappings.  His  rela- 
tive, the  crow,  goes  by  a  slow,  regular  series  of  sepa- 


40  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

rate  wing-beats,  but  sometimes  he  sails,  and  for  the 
moment  would  make  one  thin!;  he  was  a  hawk,  till  he 
starts  on  again. 

Birds  likewise  reveal  themselves  through  positions 
in  standing,  and  in  their  paces  or  other  motions. 
Flycatchers  and  bluebirds  stand  very  erect,  as  do 
thrushes  and  the  cedar  waxwing.  But  the  flycatcher 
soon  reveals  himself  by  darting  out  after  an  insect. 
The  thrush  stands  still  for  quite  a  while, —  in  the 
woods,  unless  it  be  a  robin, —  while  the  bluebird  will 
more  likely  take  an  apple  tree,  fence,  or  wire,  and  he 
is  smaller  than  the  robin.  The  waxwing  has  a  pro- 
nounced crest  and  usually  goes  in  flocks.  The  spry 
movements  in  the  foliage  will  distinguish  a  warbler 
from  the  sedate  vireo. 

The  blackbird  walks,  as  do  the  larks,  starlings, 
pipits,  oven-birds,  and  water  thrushes,  while  the  robin, 
sparrows,  and  others,  usually  hop.  The  fox  sparrow, 
the  thrasher  and  the  chewink  scratch  away  among 
the  dead  leaves,  but  the  variegated  chewink  can  never 
be  mistaken  for  the  other  brown  bird,  nor  could  the 
fox  sparrow  for  the  big  thrasher,  even  if  he  had  not 
left  for  the  north  before  the  thrasher  arrives.  The 
birds  that  climb  thereby  distinguish  themselves  from 
all  others.  One  will  know  that  the  nuthatch  is  not  a 
woodpecker  when  he  persists  in  running  down-hill  on 
the  tree-trunk.  The  slender  brown  creeper,  climbing 
in  upward  spirals,  appears  different  from  the  robust 
woodpecker,  and  the  black  and  white  creeper  or 
warbler  will  not  be  taken  for  the  brown  creeper  be- 


Remarkably  tame  female  Scarlet  Tanager  hopping  back  to  her 
after  having  been  removed  by  the  photographer. 

— p. Ill 


Nest  of  Veery,  showing  how  to  photograph  a  nest. 

— pp.  185-187 


IDENTIFYING  BIRDS  41 

cause  it  is  so  distinctly  black  and  white,  as  well  as 
because  it  leaves  the  trunk  to  investigate  the  various 
branches. 

As  I  have  already  said,  it  will  be  of  great  help  to 
learn  the  principal  groups  and  families  of  birds  in  a 
general  way,  and  their  peculiarities.  But  when  it 
comes  to  singling  out  the  particular  bird,  especially 
members  of  the  finch  or  warbler  families,  and  tracing 
them  up,  there  is  really  no  royal  road,  save  the  good 
old-fashioned  way  of  active  following  up,  careful  and 
alert,  noting  characteristics  of  form,  color,  and  mark- 
ing, and  looking  it  up  in  the  book, —  unless  one  is 
fortunate  enough  to  have  experienced  friends  to 
whom,  or  with  whom,  one  may  go.  Though  bird- 
study  and  a  good  many  other  things  in  these  days  have 
their  difficulties  reduced  to  the  lowest  terms,  we  have 
not  reached  the  epoch  yet  when  everything  is  done 
for  us. 

I  am  reminded  of  the  remark  of  a  friend  of  mine, 
an  expert  ornithologist.  He  was  kindly  undertaking 
to  show  me,  in  a  region  new  to  me,  the  haunts  o£ 
certain  not  common  warblers,  with  a  view  of  finding 
their  nests.  Arriving  in  a  large  area  of  small  scrubby 
growth  bordering  some  woods,  we  heard  the  desired 
birds  sing,  and  saw  them. 

"  Here  they  are,"  said  he,  "  and  the  only  way  I 
know  of  to  find  their  nests  is  to  work.  They  may  be 
nesting  in  or  under  any  one  of  these  million  or  so 
of  bushes  and  weed-clumps,  and  if  you  wish  to  find 
them  you've  got  to  look  in  each  place  till  you  strike 


42  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

what  you  are  after."  This  is  over  against  the  idea 
which  some  beginners  have  that  an  "  expert "  with 
birds  can  do  or  see  anything  he  wants. 

Remember  that  bird-study  at  its  best,  followed  thor- 
oughly, is  an  active,  manly  sport, —  or  else  it  would 
not  appeal  to  vigorous  youth.  So  don't  let  us  hear 
any  weak  repinings  about  the  bird  not  waiting  to  give 
you  a  good  look.  So  much  the  worse  for  you,  if  you 
missed  it;  you  will  have  to  try  again.  Maybe  an- 
other time  you  will  have  better  luck.  The  bird  may 
happen  to  come  your  way  just  right.  Or,  at  the  first 
meeting,  you  may  have  blundered  by  being  too  pre- 
cipitate or  making  too  much  noise.  Some  birds  are 
shy  and  always  hard  to  approach.  Get  your  inge- 
nuity unlimbered  and  try  some  cunning  scheme.  If 
the  bird  will  not  let  you  come  to  it,  try  to. make  it 
come  to  you.  One  way  is  to  hide  or  keep  still  and  let 
it  come  your  way,  or  else  have  someone  go  around  and 
drive  it  toward  you. 

And  do  not,  I  pray,  complain  that  you  cannot  get 
where  the  bird  is, —  that  is  a  pitiable  confession  of 
weakness,  unless  excused  by  a  real  physical  disability ! 
If  the  fastness  be  a  morass,  get  on  the  rubber  boots 
and  go  in,  even  if,  perchance,  a  slip  should  make  it 
"  all  over."  Never  mind,  there  are  dry  clothes  at 
home,  soap  is  cheap,  and  you  will  not  catch  cold  while 
exercising.  If  by  any  chance  you  are  of  the  dignified 
kind,  honestly,  a  tumble  into  a  mud-hole  would  do 
a  world  of  good. 

The  various  haps  and  mishaps  are  part  of  the  fun, 


IDENTIFYING  BIRDS  43 

all  helping  to  make  up  the  harmless  and  exciting 
game.  Only  persist,  and  you  will  be  climbing  by 
leaps  and  bounds  into  intimacy  with  the  birds,  and 
ere  you  know  it  you  will  be  numbered  among  the  ex- 
pert and  knowing.  I  know  ladies  who  are  very  excel- 
lent ornithologists,  and  can  recognize  birds  accurately 
as  fast  as  they  come  into  sight  or  hearing.  Very 
many  ladies  and  girls  are  studying  birds,  and  it  is  as 
good  for  them  as  for  men. 

In  meeting  and  getting  a  good  look  at  an  unfa- 
miliar bird,  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  write  in  the 
field  note-book  at  once  a  brief  description  of  the  main 
characteristics  of  the  bird  so  as  to  have  accurate  data 
for  looking  it  up  at  home.  The  memory  cannot  al- 
ways be  trusted,  and  it  is  surprising  how  much  one 
can  forget  or  overlook.  Unless  things  are  written 
down,  there  will  almost  surely  be  various  points,  in 
referring  to  descriptions,  about  which  one  is  hazy. 
Moreover,  the  very  effort  of  writing  sharpens  the 
power  of  observation  and  makes  the  description  the 
more  complete.  With  a  good  description  in  hand, 
one  will  have  data  to  follow  out  the  arrangements  in 
the  keys  in  the  works  on  ornithology.  Some  keys 
are  based  primarily  on  coloration,  so  the  task  will  be 
easier  in  cases  where  the  bird  has  pronounced  colors 
or  markings. 

Unfortunately  not  all  birds  are  thus  distinct.  Es- 
pecially in  the  cases  of  the  young,  some  species  are 
very  much  alike.  This  is  notably  true  of  the  spar- 
rows. Even  though  the  parents  may  have  no  mark- 


44  HOW.  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

ings  on  the  under-parts,  it  is  characteristic  of  young 
sparrows  to  have  them.  Most  of  them  lack  the  dis- 
tinctive markings  of  their  parents,  and  seem  to  be 
just  a  dull,  nondescript  mixture  of  varying  dull 
browns,  apparently  much  the  same  in  one  as  in  the 
other.  This  is  particularly  true  of  them  in  summer, 
but  the  atmosphere  of  doubt  tends  to  clear  as  they 
pass  from  their  "  Juvenal  "  plumage  to  the  next  more 
mature. 

The  young  of  warblers,  too,  are  often  puzzling. 
Fortunately  some  have  the  distinctive  characters  of 
the  species,  such  as  the  general  yellow  hue  of  the  yel- 
low warbler,  or  the  yellow  on  the  tail  of  the  female 
redstart.  But  the  young  of  the  common  blackpoll 
and  of  the  rarer  bay-breast  are  so  very  similar  that 
they  can  hardly  be  told  apart  unless  the  bird  is  shot 
and  in  the  hand,  and  none  too  easily  even  then.  In 
such  a  case  we  may  simply  accept  the  limitations  of 
bird-study  without  a  gun.  It  is  no  great  matter  if 
we  fail  to  "  round  up  "  every  bird  that  we  see.  Even 
the  collector  cannot  get  every  specimen  which  he  tries 
to  capture. 

The  few  who  make  scientific  research  their  life- 
work  can  secure  collecting  permits  from  the  State. 
As  it  is,  though  we  might  identify  more  birds  by 
shooting  them,  most  of  us  would  lose  more  than  we 
should  gain  by  so  doing.  For  myself,  to  shoot  every 
blackpoll  I  might  meet  on  a  fine  September  day  in 
the  woods  to  prove  that  there  was  a  bay-breast  among 
them  would  not  only  be  valueless,  but  utterly  re- 


IDENTIFYING  BIRDS  45j 

pulsive  to  my  better  feelings,  spoiling  the  day  and  the 
trip. 

This  will  suggest  limitations  also  as  to  the  matter 
of  scientific  record.  A  "  form  "  or  "  sub-species  " 
could  hardly  be  distinguished  without  collecting  the 
bird,  and,  even  then,  in  some  cases,  "  examining  it  in 
a  correct  northern  light," — as  they  put  it!  With- 
out the  gun  we  cannot  expect  to  distinguish  the  so- 
called  bronzed  and  purple  grackles, —  nor  always 
with  it,  for  that  matter.  Whether  the  distinction 
in  these  forms  holds  or  not  is  mainly  a 'question  of 
interest  to  those  who  are  making  certain  technical 
studies.  For  the  vast  majority  of  us  it  is  quite  suf- 
ficient to  call  it  a  crow  blackbird. 

In  the  case  of  the  supposed  occurrence  of  a  very 
rare  bird,  or  one  new  to  the  region,  of  course  the 
specimen  in  possession  would  prove  the  record. 
When  the  bird  is  merely  seen,  much  will  depend  upon 
circumstances  whether  or  not  it  can  count  as  a  record. 
If  it  is  very  distinct  in  appearance,  easy  to  recognize, 
and  is  seen  by  a  person  familiar  with  the  species,  it 
may  be  accepted,  whereas  of  a  puzzling  species,  or  of 
supposed  rare  records  made  by  the  absolute  novice, 
there  would  be  room  for  doubt.  This  need  not  trou- 
ble bird-lovers  of  modest  attainments.  They  are  not 
burning  with  zeal  to  astonish  the  scientific  world 
with  new  records.  The  study  of  birds  for  its  own 
sake  is  abundantly  worth  while.  We  do  not  need 
to  be  anthropologists  to  enjoy  our  fellows,  nor  learned 
scientists  to  exult  in  our  experiences  with  birds. 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS 


CHAPTER  IV 

WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS 

THE  plan  of  Nature  seems  to  be  that  there 
should  be  birds  everywhere.  They  are 
like  a  well-regulated  police  force,  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  them  on  duty  wherever  needed, — 
to  guard  every  green  thing  from  the  attacks  of  the 
many  sorts  of  insects,  to  prevent  self-assertive  plants, 
which  we  call  weeds,  from  multiplying  unduly,  and, 
in  general,  to  help  preserve  the  balance  of  Nature. 
Hence,  when  things  are  normal,  there  should  be  no 
tree  or  plant  that  grows  without  its  bird  guardians 
of  various  sorts.  Each  species  of  bird  knows  its  own 
province,  and  confines  itself  pretty  closely  to  that, 
though  some,  like  individuals  of  our  race,  will  at 
times  go  astray. 

Some  of  the  birds,  then,  are  at  our  very  doors. 
Ignoring  the  imported  English  sparrow,  which  has 
spread  all  over  most  of  North  America  and  become 
a  real  pest,  the  best-known  door-yard  bird  is  doubt- 
less the  robin.  Few  there  are  who  cannot  identify 
that!  Perhaps  next  to  it  in  abundance  comes  the 
chipping  sparrow,  the  little  slender,  brownish  bird 
with  unspotted  light  breast  and  a  reddish  patch  on 
49 


50  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

the  crown.  You  think  you  know  it  because  you  can 
distinguish  it  from  the  English  sparrow  ?  Make  sure 
that  you  know  it  from  the  field  sparrow,  which  is 
common  in  the  pasture  and  low  scrub  and  has  a  dif- 
ferent cast  of  reddish  on  his  head  and  back,  and  a 
pinkish  bill,  stouter  than  chippy's. 

In  winter  another  sparrow  of  this  genus  comes 
around  the  house  to  get  weed-seeds  in  the  garden, 
the  northern  tree  sparrow,  which  looks  very  much 
like  the  field  sparrow  except  that  it  has  a  distinguish- 
ing dark  mark  on  the  center  of  its  breast.  At  this 
season  its  near  relatives  are  far  away  south.  The 
song  sparrow,  with  heavily  streaked  breast,  often  ap- 
pears, usually  in  the  shrubbery  of  the  garden  or  along 
the  roadside.  If  there  are  dry  open  fields  near-by, 
especially  with  rather  poor  sandy  soil  and  sparse 
grass,  the  vesper  sparrow  ought  to  be  found,  easily 
recognized  by  the  outer  tail-feathers  showing  white  as 
it  flies. 

In  some  localities,  especially  near  the  coast  or  well 
to  the  north,  the  savanna  sparrow  is  the  common 
member  of  its  family  on  the  open  ground  about  home. 
It  resembles  the  song  sparrow,  but  its  streaked  breast 
is  not  so  heavily  marked ;  it  is  a  trifle  smaller  and  has 
a  yellowish  stripe  over  each  eye.  Still  another  spe- 
cies which  is  found  in  some  places  in  the  old  fields  is 
the  grasshopper  sparrow,  which  has  a  weak  song  like 
the  strident  fiddle  of  a  grasshopper;  it  is  shy  and 
hard  to  recognize,  with  its  dull  tints.  Look  it  up  in 
the  handbook.  Thus  we  see  that  most  of  the  spar- 


Male  Rose-Breasted  Grosbeak,  the  only   species  which 
"picks   potato-bugs." 


The  best-known  door-yard  bird  is  doubtless  the 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS  51 

rows  can  be  learned  right  around  the  house,  and  it 
will  be  a  good  feat  to  accomplish  as  an  early  move 
in  the  game  of  birds. 

If  there  are  evergreens  in  the  yard,  like  as  not  a 
few  pairs  of  the  grackle  or  crow  blackbird  may  take 
up  residence  in  them  to  build  their  nests.  The  bril- 
liant Baltimore  oriole  hangs  its  pouch-shaped  nest 
from  the  tips  of  the  elm-branches  in  many  a  yard  or 
along  the  street.  Frequently  we  may  hear  snatches 
of  caroled  song,  and  it  will  take  some  peering  up- 
wards among  the  foliage  of  the  shade-trees  to  see 
the  singer,  the  vireo,  a  light-breasted  bird,  greenish- 
olive  above.  It  may  be  any  one  of  three  kinds :  the 
commonest  is  the  red-eyed  vireo,  slightly  the  largest, 
with  very  white  breast,  large  bill,  and  a  pronounced 
white  stripe  over  the  eye;  the  warbling  vireo,  of 
rather  duller  hues  and  a  breast  not  so  white;  or  the 
yellow-throated  vireo,  with  a  conspicuous  yellow 
throat. 

The  little  brown  house  wren  may  be  a  neighbor, 
nesting  in  some  hole  or  other,  or  old  tin  can  nailed 
up.  It  is  a  real  musician,  almost  constantly  pouring 
out  a  medley  of  bubbling  song.  The  little  humming- 
bird visits  the  flowers,  and  very  likely  has  its  tiny, 
downy  nest  saddled  on  some  branch  over  the  garden. 
Probably  bluebirds  live  in  the  orchard,  and  one  is 
fortunate  if  the  lovely  creatures  consent  to  occupy 
the  bird-house.  More  would  do  so,  were  it  not  for 
the  English  sparrow  which  drives  them  out.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  tree  swallows  and  purple  martins, 


52  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

which  now  all  too  seldom  are  able  to  find  lodgment, 
owing,  in  part  at  least,  to  the  "  feathered  rat." 

These  cannot,  however,  dislodge  the  chimney  swift, 
which  comes  so  very  close  home  as  to  build  its  basket- 
nest  of  gummed  sticks  in  many  a  chimney  of  the 
older  and  wider  type.  Sometimes,  when  the  young 
are  growing,  such  a  racket  is  kept  up  within  the  chim- 
ney, even  at  night,  that  it  takes  some  enthusiasm 
for  birds  not  to  wish  that  these  were  farther  off. 
Another  notably  familiar  bird  is  the  little  gray  phoebe, 
which  puts  its  nest  in  any  available  building. 

The  orchard,  even  though  small,  is  a  favorite  re- 
sort for  certain  birds,  and  even  a  few  fruit  trees  in 
the  garden  have  great  drawing  powers.  Besides 
most  of  the  birds  already  mentioned,  the  bold  king- 
bird, our  largest  flycatcher,  of  excitable  manners,  is 
notably  an  orchard  bird,  defending  its  nest,  and  inci- 
dentally those  of  other  birds,  from  marauding  jay, 
crow,  or  hawk.  The  other  large  flycatcher,  the 
crested,  though  rather  scarce,  likes  the  orchard,  where 
in  a  hollow  limb  it  builds  its  nest  which  is  famous 
for  always  including  a  snake-skin  in  its  material. 
The  smallest  species  too,  the  least'  flycatcher,  or 
"  chebec,"  likes  the  orchard  and  the  garden,  as  some- 
times does  one  other,  the  wood  pewee,  with  its  pro- 
longed plaintive  note,  though  the  grovjes  are  most 
frequently  its  temple. 

That  large  woodpecker,  the  flicker,  likes  to  carve 
out  his  nest  in  a  dead  limb  or  decaying  trunk.  The 
cedar  waxwing,  or  cedar-bird,  is  very  partial  to  the 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS  53 

apple  orchard,  particularly  in  its  nesting-time  late  in 
summer.  Its  companion  in  tardy  breeding,  the  gold- 
finch, while  it  may  nest  about  the  premises,  is  more 
apt  to  come  for  thistle  and  sunflower  seeds.  If  the 
place  be  a  farm,  the  barn  and  eave  swallows  are  apt 
to  take  up  residence  in  the  barn. 

During  spring  and  fall  migration,  quite  a  number 
of  birds  are  likely  to  drop  in  while  passing.  In 
spring  the  warblers  make  a  most  beautiful  accession. 
Some  days  in  May  the  blossoming  apple-trees  are 
alive  with  them  and  they  are  seen  nearly  everywhere. 
The  pretty  white-throated  sparrow  is  quite  apt  to 
come  in  both  the  migrations,  and  sometimes  the  shy 
thrushes,  even  the  hermit  and  olive-backed,  are  liable 
to  favor  us,  though  well  back  in  the  garden. 

It  must  be  evident  from  the  above  that  there  are 
a  good  many  birds  to  study  close  at  home,  and  if 
people  are  willing  to  use  their  eyes  a  little,  they  can 
learn  a  great  deal  with  very  little  trouble.  It  is 
interesting,  while  studying  birds,  to  keep  an  inci- 
dental record  of  all  species  seen  on  one's  own  prem- 
ises. In  my  former  home  garden  in  Boston,  during 
a  series  of  a  dozen  years,  I  noted  about  eighty-five 
kinds  of  birds,  and  another  observer,  in  a  recent  book, 
records  one  hundred  and  ten  seen  on  Boston  Common 
in  a  decade.  Many  happy  odd  minutes  can  profit- 
ably be  spent  with  the  opera  glass  in  one's  own  yard. 
Indeed,  almost  any  bird  is  at  times  liable  to  occur 
in  such  surroundings. 

It  would,  however,  seem  rather  indolent  to  wait 


54  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

for  the  birds  to  come  to  us.  There  are  many  other 
sorts  of  localities  to  explore.  Out  in  the  grassy  field 
or  meadow  we  may  hear  and  see  the  bobolink  and 
the  meadowlark.  A  very  excellent  and  prolific  sort 
of  place  is  the  scrub  pasture.  Here  we  shall  meet 
the  chewink  and  the  brown  thrasher.  The  field  and 
song  sparrows  doubtless  are  abundant.  The  dark 
blue  male  indigo-bird  mated  to  a  dull  brown  little 
female  is  another  kind  to  be  looked  for,  and  with 
about  as  much  assurance  the  chestnut-sided  warbler; 
also,  in  some  localities,  the  prairie  warbler.  There 
the  parasite,  the  cowbird,  is  about,  the  female  ready 
for  mischief,  to  deposit  her  egg  in  the  nest  of  some 
smaller  bird. 

Especially  if  there  are  cedar  trees,  the  purple  finch 
may  be  found.  This  is  another  species  where  the 
different  appearance  of  the  sexes  may  puzzle  the  be- 
ginner. From  the  female  the  rich  crimson  "  wash  " 
of  the  male  is  omitted,  leaving  a  streaked  bird,  a 
good  deal  like  the  song  sparrow,  whose  thick  bill  and 
forked  tail  will  betray  it  to  those  whose  eyes  are  keen. 
That  singular  bird,  the  yellow-breasted  chat,  loves 
the  scrub,  briers,  and  thicket. 

One  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  birds  are  sel- 
dom wholly  restricted  to  one  sort  of  locality,  and 
also  that  it  is  impossible  to  divide  a  region  into  hard 
and  fast  sections.  Hence  the  best  I  can  do,  by  way 
of  general  suggestion,  is  to  mention  several  leading 
types  of  localities  and  a  few  of  their  most  charac- 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS  55 

teristic  birds.  One  need  not  be  surprised  to  encoun- 
ter many  others,  as  will  surely  be  the  case. 

The  type  of  locality  that  almost  blends  with  the 
pasture  is  the  bushy  swamp,  or  swampy  thicket. 
Here  are  various  birds  which  easily  overflow  into  the 
pasture.  A  notable  case  is  the  catbird.  Anywhere 
where  there  are  thick,  rather  high  bushes  one  is  liable 
to  find  it.  This  is  true  also  of  the  yellow-throat, 
that  inquisitive  warbler  of  the  swamps  which  the  be- 
ginner will  soon  have  to  learn.  It  is  supposed  to 
sing  "  witchery,  witchery,"  and  its  conspicuous  fea- 
ture is  that  suggested  by  its  name,  the  male  having 
also  a  pronounced  black  stripe  about  the  eyes.  In 
these  haunts  we  may  find,  in  migration,  the  mourning 
and  Connecticut  warblers.  The  white-eyed  vireo  is 
partial  to  thickets  near  a  swamp  or  brook.  It  has 
a  bold,  ringing  song,  very  distinct  from  that  of  the 
other  vireos,  and  as  it  is  quite  apt  to  let  one  approach 
very  near  and  see  its  funny  eyes  with  the  staring  white 
iris,  it  is  not  hard  to  identify. 

The  rose-breasted  grosbeak  is  especially  partial  to 
a  swampy  growth  of  young  maples,  where  it  nests, 
but  the  drier  thickets  often  answer  its  purpose,  and 
it  even  rambles  to  the  garden.  This  bird  resembles 
the  purple  finch  in  the  difference  between  sexes.  The 
female  is  also  a  sparrow-like  bird  with  a  very  thick 
bill,  but  much  larger  than  the  purple  finch  or  any  spar- 
row, and  radically  different  from  her  distinguished 
black  and  white  husband  with  the  rose-spot  on  his 


156  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

breast.  The  cuckoos  also  seek  the  thick  places, 
though  frequently  they  locate  in  the  orchard.  The 
two  kinds  are  not  easy  to  distinguish,  and  the  book- 
descriptions  should  be  read  carefully. 

In  places  more  swampy  still,  and  rather  more  open, 
the  red-winged  blackbird  is  the  most  conspicuous  citi- 
zen, especially  the  male,  with  his  flashing  red  epaul- 
ettes, who  will  not  fail  to  let  one  know  where  he  is. 
Sometimes  the  kingbird  will  surprise  us  by  dwelling 
in  the  bushy  swamp,  building  the  nest  in  the  crotch 
of  a  bush  over  the  water  or  even  out  from  the  shore 
of  a  pond.  The  swamp  sparrow  is  partial  to  such 
places,  where  there  are  grassy  tussocks  among  the 
bushes.  It  is  in  these  tussocks  that  the  rather  rare 
short-billed  marsh  wren  makes  its  nest.  Where  the 
swamp  becomes  the  bog,  with  tall  reeds  or  rushes, 
the  long-billed  marsh  wren  dwells  and  suspends  its 
odd  globular  nest  among  the  stems.  Here  are  found 
certain  water-birds,  which  will  be  described  later. 

The  other  main  division  of  the  landscape  is  the 
woodland,  and  a  very  charming  one  it  is.  Many  of 
the  smaller  species  thought  of  as  woodland  birds  are 
more  apt  to  be  found  near  the  edge  of  the  woods,  ad- 
jacent to  open  land  or  even  human  habitation. 
Among  our  most  typically  woodland  birds  are  the 
thrushes,  with  the  exception  of  the  robin;  yet  even 
this  familiar  fellow  I  have  found  nesting  in  the 
woods.  Most  conspicuous  of  them  is  the  wood 
thrush,  of  good  size,  with  bright  brown  back  and 
heavily  spotted  breast  and  sides.  The  only  bird  it 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS  57 

could  be  at  first  mistaken  for  is  the  brown  thrasher, 
but  that  is  larger,  more  vivacious,  and  has  a  much 
longer  tail. 

The  Wilson's  thrush,  or  veery,  is  fairly  common. 
It  is  rather  a  timid  bird,  not  always  easy  to  approach, 
but  if  we  can  get  a  look  at  its  faintly  spotted  breast 
and  unspotted  sides,  we  can  distinguish  it  at  once. 
The  hermit  thrush  occurs  only  as  a  migrant,  save 
from  the  Northern  States  and  on.  Its  "  give-away  " 
point  is  that  the  tail  is  of  a  brighter  reddish  brown 
than  the  back.  The  olive-backed  thrush  is  another 
rather  common  migrant,  and  has  a  dark  olive-brown 
back,  very  different  from  the  others. 

In  the  same  rank  with  the  wood  thrush  as  the 
commonest  woodland  birds  belong  the  red-eyed  vireo 
and  the  oven-bird.  Both  of  these  are  very  voluble 
singers.  The  former  has  been  called  "  preacher  " 
because  he  talks  so  much,  and  the  latter  "  teacher  " 
because  of  a  supposed  propensity  to  repeat  that  word, 
louder  and  louder.  The  scarlet  tanager  is  a  wood- 
bird,  though  not  averse  to  being  near  the  edge  by  a 
house.  Most  of  the  hawks  and  owls  are  of  the 
woods  woodsy,  and  we  shall  give  them  a  separate 
chapter.  The  ruffed  grouse,  that  great  game-bird,  is 
perhaps  even  more  than  any  of  our  birds,  save  the 
hawks  and  owls,  a  lover  of  the  deep,  lonely  forest, 
where  almost  no  other  bird  is  to  be  seen  or  heard, 
unless  there  are  evergreens  with  their  black-throated 
green  warblers. 

This  warbler  and  a  number  of  others  are  notably 


58  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

woodland  birds.  Most  of  these,  however,  go  north- 
ward to  the  latitude  of  Maine  and  Canada.  But  the 
black  and  white  warbler  also  stays  with  us,  and  so 
does  the  black-throated  blue  on  high  wooded  hills 
among  mountain-laurel  undergrowth  and  the  Canad- 
ian warbler  in  similar  places.  Most  of  the  migrant 
warblers  breed  in  the  spruce  and  balsam  forests  of 
the  far  north.  Others,  like  the  worm-eating,  hooded, 
and  Kentucky  warblers  are  content  with  woodlands 
of  the  middle  districts.  The  two  water  thrushes, 
also  birds  of  the  woods,  are  much  alike,  but  can  be 
distinguished  in  that  the  Louisiana  water  thrush  has 
a  pure  white  throat,  while  that  of  the  other  has  dis- 
tinct markings. 

The  two  tiny  kinglets  are  denizens  of  evergreen 
forests,  though  they  come  around  houses  at  times. 
Crows  and  jays  nest  in  the  woods,  though  the  blue 
jay  does  so  in  pastures  or  orchards  at  times.  Among 
flycatchers,  the  wood  pewee,  a  dark,  slender  bird, 
prefers  the  deep  woods,  often,  though,  on  the  border 
of  a  road.  The  whippoorwill  is  notably  a  woodland 
bird,  though  at  night  it  sallies  forth  into  the  open. 
Flush  a  fair-sized  brown  bird  from  the  ground,  silent 
of  flight  and  long  of  wing,  and  probably  it  is  the  whip- 
poorwill which  at  night  makes  the  welkin  ring  with 
its  odd  cries.  Its  near  relative  the  nighthawk  is  a 
bird  of  the  open  rocky  field.  It  flies  around  over- 
head by  day  and  is  distinguished  from  the  other  es- 
pecially by  the  white  bar  on  each  wing. 

Most  of  the  woodpeckers  are  also  naturally  wood- 


WHERE  TO  FIND  BIRDS  59 

land  birds,  notably  the  hairy,  the  yellow-bellied 
sapsucker,  and  the  great  pileated  woodpecker  which 
is  as  large  as  a  crow.  The  rest  of  them  are  more  or 
less  partial  to  woods,  as  are  some  other  birds  which 
are  not  supposed  to  care  for  the  forest,  like  the  hum- 
mer, which  I  have  several  times  found  nesting  in  the 
deep  woods.  Some  birds,  such  as  the  redstart,— 
that  striking  warbler,  the  male  with  his  black  and 
orange,  and  the  female  with  her  long  yellow-marked 
tail,  prone  to  spread, —  love  the  edge  of  groves. 
Thither  many  a  bird  resorts,  and  in  the  early  morn- 
ing a  great  chorus  arises  where  forest  adjoins  civiliza- 
tion. 

Thus  one  might  go  on  throwing  out  hints  to  help 
identify  every  last  bird,  but  enough  of  the  more 
numerous  and  conspicuous  ones  have  been  mentioned 
to  give  the  beginner  a  pretty  good  idea  of  what  are 
to  be  most  readily  encountered  in  the  various  sorts 
of  localities.  But  let  no  one  imagine  that  even  these 
will  show  themselves  upon  the  first  demand.  Birds 
do  not  bother  themselves  about  our  convenience  or 
wishes.  They  will  appear  when  they  get  ready,  or, 
more  likely,  when  we  work  hard  enough  to  find  them. 
If  we  have  the  true  enthusiasm  we  will  go  where  the 
birds  are,  into  all  the  sorts  of  places  where  they  are 
to  be  found,  knowing  woodland,  swamp,  and  thicket, 
along  with  the  nearer  realm  of  field  and  garden. 


LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  AND  NOTES 


CHAPTER  V 
LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  AND  NOTES 

THE  person  who  can  recognize  the  notes  and 
songs  of  birds  has  a  great  advantage  in 
studying  them  over  those  who  do  not.  To 
such  a  one  the  sound  is  the  clear  and  certain  announce- 
ment by  the  bird  of  its  presence.  Standing  quietly, 
almost  anywhere,  he  can  say  to  a  companion,  here  is 
this  bird,  there  is  that,  yonder  is  so  and  so,  and  al- 
most at  once  name  a  dozen  or  two  species  that  are 
singing  or  calling  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  If  the 
other  be  incredulous  about  some  particular  species, 
he  can  listen  again,  take  the  bearings  of  the  place 
from  which  the  sound  proceeds,  and  then  show  the 
bird  to  the  doubter. 

They  say  that  "  seeing  is  believing,"  but  to  a  cer- 
tain degree  this  is  true  of  hearing,  as  well.  Certain 
bird  songs  are  just  as  characteristic  as  are  the  visual 
appearances  of  the  birds.  In  a  few  cases  birds  can 
imitate  the  notes  of  others, —  as  the  blue  jay  the 
scream  of  the  red-shouldered  hawk,  but  in  the  great 
majority  of  cases  no  such  imitations  have  ever  been 
recorded.  Just  as  one  can  infallibly  recognize 
Chopin's  "  Polonaise  Militaire "  or  the  Wedding 
March  from  Lohengrin  as  soon  as  the  first  notes  are 
63 


64  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

sounded,  so  does  one  the  "  conk-a-ree-e  "of  the  red- 
winged  blackbird  or  the  rollicking  medley  of  the  bob- 
olink. They  are  distinct  and  inimitable,  and  in  hear- 
ing them  one  knows,  not  only  that  it  is  in  correct 
form,  but  also  that  it  is  sung  by  the  author. 

If  one  is  looking  up  some  particular  bird  or  birds, 
acquaintance  with  the  bird's  song  or  notes  is  of  won- 
derful assistance.  To  cite  an  instance  —  I  was  out 
with  a  friend  in  early  June  to  investigate  blue-winged 
warblers,  hoping  to  discover  an  individual  of  the 
hybrid  forms  of  the  Brewster's  or  Lawrence's  warb- 
lers, and  then  to  attempt  to  trace  out  the  nest,  so  as 
to  learn  something  of  their  little-known  relationships. 
We  went  to  some  typical  country  for  the  blue-wing 

—  the  edge  of  woods  bordering  scrubby  fields  — 
and  listened  for  songs.     The  usual  song  is  a  drawling 
lisp  of  two  notes,  very  characteristic, — "  ee-e,  zee-e," 

—  the  "  easy  "  song,  I  sometimes  call  it. 

Almost  upon  arrival  we  heard  one  sing,  and  traced 
it  out  in  the  thick  foliage.  It  was  a  typical  blue- 
wing,  so  we  left  it  and  went  on  farther,  heard  an- 
other, and  traced  it  out  with  the  same  results.  This 
we  repeated  about  eight  or  ten  times,  when  the  singer 
proved,  to  our  joy,  to  be  a  male  Lawrence's  warbler. 
Knowing  that  the  nest  was  doubtless  not  far  from 
where  the  bird  continued  to  sing,  we  put  in  two  hour's 
hard  work  beating  and  examining  the  weeds  and  low 
bushes,  part  of  the  time  on  hands  and  knees,  and  then 
flushed  the  female  from  the  nest  on  the  ground  under 
some  sprouts  and  debris.  It  contained  four  eggs  of 


Brown  Thrasher  attacking  the  camera  man  in  defense  of  its  nest. 


Study  of  young  Cedar-Birds. 


LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  65 

the  warbler  and  two  of  the  cowbird.  It  was  a  case 
of  a  typical  female  blue-wing  mated  with  a  Law- 
rence's hybrid  —  a  fine  and  rare  discovery,  due  en- 
tirely to  our  knowing  the  bird's  notes.  This  suggests 
what  can  be  done  in  many  other  cases. 

There  is  nothing  in  bird-study  more  puzzling  to 
the  beginner  than  early  on  a  fine  morning  about  the 
middle  of  May,  when  the  spring  migration  is  in  full 
tide,  to  be  out  amid  the  wonderful  chorus  of  bird- 
voices  and  try  to  recognize  the  individual  songs.  It 
is  more  difficult  than  to  segregate  the  different  instru- 
ments of  the  orchestra  in  a  symphony,  for  it  is  the 
symphony  of  Nature,  a  grander  one  than  even  the 
immortal  Beethoven  could  devise.  It  is  the  model 
for  the  "  symphonic  poem,"  compared  with  which 
even  so  ingenious  an  one  as  Liszt's  "  St.  Francis 
Preaching  to  the  Birds  "  falls  far  short.  More  in- 
struments and  kinds  of  instruments  play  in  this  orches- 
tra than  in  the  wildest  dreams  of  the  very  latest  dis- 
ciples of  Wagner  and  Strauss.  Its  grandeur  and 
elaboration  are  indeed  confusing.  While  trying  to 
hear  one  bird,  a  score  break  in,  with  not  only  the  reg- 
ulation notes  but  every  variation  upon  them  of  which 
they  are  capable. 

For  this  reason  I  consider  that  the  best  time  to 
begin  bird-study  is  the  early  spring,  say  in  the  cool 
weather  of  late  March  or  early  April,  before  the 
great  host  of  birds  begin  to  arrive.  The  morning  is 
the  best  time  for  songs,  especially  early  in  the  season, 
though  there  is  some  singing  all  day,  and  along  in  the 


66  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

afternoon  the  chorus  starts  off  again.  As  soon  as 
possible  get  familiar  with  the  songs  of  the  more  com- 
mon birds,  the  "  stand-bys."  This  will  eliminate  a 
considerable  part  of  the  later  chorus  from  the  ranks 
of  the  unknown  and  enable  one  to  devote  the  time  to 
getting  hold  of  really  new  things,  without  wasting  it 
in  following  up  robins  and  the  like. 

I  think  that  there  is  no  better  and  more  valuable 
advice  that  I  could  give  at  the  outset  than  to  impress 
upon  the  student  who  really  wants  to  know  the  birds 
and  to  become  expert  the  necessity  of  making  free 
use  of  the  note-book  in  writing  down  brief  descrip- 
tions and  impressions  of  bird's  notes  and  songs.  We 
find  some  bird  of  especial  interest,  and  have  a  chance 
to  hear  it  sing  over  and  over  again.  "  Surely,"  one 
thinks,  "  I  shall  always  remember  it."  But  memory 
is  fleeting,  and  notably  regarding  so  intangible  a  thing 
as  bird-music.  It  is  apt  to  be  not  long  until  the 
thing  has  utterly  escaped  us. 

I  remember,  when  visiting  the  Magdalen  Islands, 
how  much  delighted  the  members  of  our  party  were 
in  listening  to  the  clear,  beautiful,  elaborate  song  of 
the  fox  sparrow.  It  became  very  familiar  to  us,  so 
much  so  that  I  failed  to  write  down  any  description 
of  it,  and  now  I  cannot  recall  it  with  any  clearness, 
when  I  attempt  a  mental  or  verbal  rehearsing.  I  can 
make  the  same  confession  about  the  songs  of  certain 
migrant  warblers,  especially  some  that  are  scarce  and 
do  not  sing  a  great  deal  with  us.  We  hear  them 
some  day,  and  then  may  not  happen  to  again  for 


LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  67 

years,  and  by  the  next  time  we  have  entirely  forgot- 
ten. But  just  a  few  catch-words,  if  based  on  one's 
own  experience,  will  recall  them  delightfully.  Un- 
less one  has  an  unusual  memory  and  ear  for  music, 
such  a  practice  will  be  of  the  greatest  value. 

Most  of  us  cannot  attempt  to  set  down  bird-songs 
by  musical  notation.  Many  songsters  do  not  seem 
to  pay  much  heed  to  the  intervals  of  our  scale,  or 
their  notes  are  pitched  too  high  for  us  to  judge.  Of 
course  the  notation  would  indicate  time-values,  yet 
few  are  trained  to  think  in  this  way.  To  the  major- 
ity, representation  by  some  form  of  words  to  which 
the  song  has  an  imagined  resemblance,  at  least  in  time 
and  accent,  will  serve  as  a  reminder  to  call  up  an  im- 
age of  the  song  as  it  sounded.  Certain  of  these 
word-"  mnemonics  "  that  have  been  published  have 
become  classic  and  not  unhelpful.  The  scarlet  tan- 
ager  is  supposed  to  say  "  chip-churr,"  the  white- 
throated  sparrow  "  peabody,  peabody,"  the  blue  jay 
"  jay,  jay,"  the  chewink  or  towhee  "  tow-hee,"  the 
nuthatches  "  ank,  ank,"  the  quail  "  bob-white  "  or 
"  more-wet,"  the  night  heron  "  quawk."  Such  words 
do  very  well  to  suggest  the  note,  and  many  other 
notes  or  songs  could  be  similarly  suggested. 

Where  the  songs  are  more  lengthy,  one  can  use 
repeated  syllables,  like  "  zee-zee,"  or  "  che-chee," 
with  other  vowel  sounds  introduced  to  show  pitch  or 
quality,  as  the  vowel  "  o  "  for  lower  pitch,  and  "  a  " 
for  harshness.  For  example  we  may  describe  the 
prairie  warbler's  song  as  "  zee-zee,"  etc.,  about  seven 


68  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

of  these  syllables,  at  the  same  rate  or  tempo,  in  as- 
cending scale,  each  note  a  little  higher  than  the  pre- 
ceding. The  song  of  the  field  sparrow  is  similar, 
only  that  these  "  zee-zee  "  notes  begin  slow  and  are 
delivered  faster  and  faster  toward  the  end.  Or  we 
might  describe  a  familiar  song  of  the  black-throated 
green  warbler,  lazily  droned  from  the  tall  pines,  by 
both  methods, — "  a-a,  see-e,  ze-ze-ze,  zee,"  or  "  Ah, 
see,  listen  to  me." 

Though  comparisons  are  said  to  be  odious,  when  it 
comes  to  helping  to  learn  bird-songs,  they  are  very 
useful  and  honorable.  Dr.  L.  B.  Bishop,  describing 
to  me  the  song  of  the  worm-eating  warbler,  put  it  in 
a  delightfully  fresh  and  epigrammatic  fashion  calcu- 
lated to  stick  in  the  memory.  "  If  you  hear  a  chippy 
sing  in  the  woods,  it  is  a  worm-eater."  From  such  a 
description  one  could  go  right  out,  in  a  region  which 
the  bird  frequented  and  find  it,  even  if  he  hadjnever 
heard  nor  seen  it  before.  Here  is  another, —  the 
song  of  the  blackpoll  warbler  sounds  like  the  rapid 
clinking  of  two  pebbles  together.  How  easily  one 
can  recognize  the  sound  of  those  pebbles  from  elm  or 
orchard  the  last  of  May! 

Suppose,  now,  we  are  out  for  a  walk  in  early  April. 
Probably  the  first  thing  we  hear  is  the  loud  caroling 
of  the  robin.  That  is  a  fundamental  sound.  Later 
we  must  note  the  difference  between  it  and  the  Balti- 
more oriole's  clear  flute-notes,  and  the  sweet,  more 
continuous  warble  of  the  rose-breasted  grosbeak. 
The  song  sparrow's  pretty  melody  arises  on  all  sides. 


LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  69 

By  this  time  the  vesper  sparrow  is  with  us,  in  dry 
fields,  and  it  will  be  well  to  take  pains  to  distinguish 
his  song,  somewhat  similar,  yet  perhaps  sweeter  and 
more  subdued.  The  meadowlark's  plaintive  whistle 
and  chucklings  come  from  yonder  field,  and  the  red- 
winged  blackbird  splutters  away  in  the  meadow. 
From  the  orchard,  or  often  from  the  skies  above, 
comes  the  ethereal  warbling  of  the  bluebird,  so  char- 
acteristic, so  welcome.  In  extreme  contrast  are  the 
harsh  duckings  of  the  grackle,  or  their  wheezy  creak- 
ings,  as  is  the  similar  "  wheel-barrow  "  chorus  from 
the  flock  of  migrant  rusty  grackles  in  the  tree  on  the 
edge  of  the  swamp,  and  the  ludicrous  "  cluck-see  " 
of  the  cowbird,  wrung  forth  by  great  convulsion  of 
the  body,  is  not  much  better. 

The  throaty  little  "  phe-be  "  of  the  phoebe  on  the 
shed  roof  or  the  old  bridge  is  very  different  from  the 
clear  "  pee-wee-e  "  whistle  sometimes  produced  by  the 
chickadee  in  late  winter,  giving  to  many  the  false  im- 
pression that  phoebe  is  wintering  in  the  cold  North. 
This  is  the  season  when  the  simple,  chippy-like  trill 
of  the  junco  is  heard  in  the  land,  before  it  departs 
for  Canada.  The  soft  cooings  of  the  mourning  dove 
are  wafted  on  the  breeze  from  the  edge  of  the  wood- 
land,— "  coo-oo-o," —  sounding  much  like  the  great 
horned  owl  in  the  distance.  We  hear  the  faint  lisp- 
ing of  the  cedar-birds,  which  could  best  be  represented 
by  a  line  of  the  letter  "  s,"  as  the  flock  dashes  by. 

Notice  the  watchman's-rattle  cry  of  the  kingfisher 
by  the  pond  or  stream,  and  forever  distinguish  it. 


70  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

The  swamp  sparrow  and  the  pine  warbler  are  among 
the  rather  early  birds,  and  each  has  a  simple  trill  after 
the  manner  of  the  junco.  The  sparrow,  though, 
sings  from  the  swamp,  and  the  junco  now  is  soon 
gone,  thus  making  less  the  confusion  of  trills,  though 
the  chippy  promptly  takes  his  place.  The  crows  are 
mating  and  noisy,  as  are  the  blue  jays  with  their  es- 
sentially corvine  screams,  their  little  rolling  alarm- 
whistle,  and  mimicry  of  the  hawk. 

Early  in  May  nearly  everything  pours  in  at  once. 
It  would  be  impossible  and  unnecessary  here  to  de- 
scribe each  song,  and  there  are  special  books  to  treat 
of  this  in  full.  My  purpose  is  rather  to  throw  out 
suggestions  of  method  and  practical  hints  for  work- 
ing, to  start  the  bird-lover  in  the  way  he  should  go. 
It  will  be  a  delightful  way,  though  not  always  plain 
sailing.  In  learning  notes  there  is  always  bound  to 
be  some  confusion  and  uncertainty.  Even  when  one 
has  learned  the  most  characteristic  songs  and  notes  of 
many  of  the  birds  and  thinks  he  can  recognize  them, 
he  will  find  that  most  species  have  more  or  less  variety 
in  expression,  and  individuals  often  develop  personal 
peculiarities  in  their  speech.  Some  song  sparrow 
will  warble  a  new  song  and  make  you  think,  till  you 
actually  see  it  sing,  that  a  new  bird  has  arrived.  This 
adds  to  the  difficulty,  but  on  the  other  hand  makes 
the  study  all  the  more  fascinating.  If  one  persists, 
as  with  the  musician,  there  will  be  in  time  a  consid« 
erable  and  growing  repertoire. 

Perhaps  I  am  not  too  fanciful  when  I  feel  that 


Bluebird  entering  nest  to  feed  young. 

—p.  105 


Female  Redstart  feeding  young,  removed    temporarily  from  nest. 

— p.lOlf 


LEARNING  BIRDS'  SONGS  71 

there  is  in  bird-music  considerable  sentiment  of  the 
same  sort  as  there  is  in  our  own.  Sometimes  there 
may  be  a  suggestion  in  form,  as  when  Mr.  Henry 
Oldys  notes  in  a  meadowlark's  song  a  snatch  of  the 
"  Toreador  Song  "  from  "  Carmen."  More  often 
to  me  the  resemblance  is  in  calling  up  the  same  sort 
of  feelings  which  are  aroused  by  some  favorite  com- 
position. The  wood  thrush  calling  from  out  the 
gloaming  brings  to  my  mind  sometimes  the  opening 
appeal  in  Weber's  "  Invitation  to  the  Dance  "  and 
again  "  the  sweetly  solemn  thought "  of  Handel's 
"  Largo  "  from  Xerxes.  When  the  tinkling  songs 
of  the  water  thrush  or  the  winter  wren  issue  forth 
from  the  banks  of  the  mountain  brook  in  the  forest, 
I  seem  to  hear  the  rippling  arabesques  of  Bendel's 
"  Silver  Spring."  The  bobolink  almost  sings  the 
"  friskas  "  or  "  czardas  "  of  some  of  Liszt's  Hun- 
garian Rhapsodies,  and  the  field  sparrow  the  pearly 
ascending  progressions  of  the  "  Song  of  the 
Rhine  Daughters "  from  Gotterdammerung.  Our 
American  tone-poet,  MacDowell,  does  not  tell  very 
much  directly  about  the  birds  in  his  "  Woodland 
Sketches,"  yet  in  the  happy  effusion  of  the  fire-lit 
redstart  I  can  detect  the  flavor  of  "  To  a  Wild  Rose," 
and  in  the  mournful  tone  of  the  last  lingering  veery 
there  is  a  feeling  of  "  In  Autumn." 

As  we  learn  to  listen  with  appreciation  to  the  songs 
of  the  birds,  we  shall  be  surprised  at  the  wealth  of 
suggestion  and  mental  imagery  which  comes  throng- 
ing to  us.  We  need  the  bird-music,  in  this  busy  age, 


,72  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

to  help  save  us  from  becoming  prosaic  and  materialis- 
tic, to  keep  open  the  fountains  of  emotion  and  the 
vistas  of  sentiment,  without  which  life  would  be  sere 
in  aspect,  barren  of  its  deepest  and  truest  joys. 


THE  SPRING  MIGRATION 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  SPRING  MIGRATION 

THE  period  during  which  the  majority  of  our 
birds  return  to  us  after  the  winter's  absence 
is  a  time  of  peculiar  advantage  to  the  bird- 
lover.  It  seems  good  to  welcome  back  our  friends, 
and  these  pioneers  give  an  especial  thrill  of  pleasure. 
This  feeling  is  the  more  enhanced  because  of  the 
scarcity  of  birds  during  the  winter.  There  is,  too, 
a  certain  delight  in  being  afield  at  the  time  when 
Nature  is  awakening,  when  the  sun  beams  warm 
again,  causing  the  spring  aroma  to  arise  from  the 
fruitful  earth  and  the  early  flowers  modestly  to  open 
to  our  view.  It  might  seem  as  though  there  were 
beauty  enough  to  call  people  forth  from  their  shells 
of  sedentary  employment  even  apart  from  the  birds. 
Yet  these  will  furnish  an  immediate  motive  without 
which  many  a  ramble  would  be  lost  or  postponed. 

It  is  a  fascinating  no  less  than  a  healthful  pursuit 
to  "  keep  tab  "  on  the  arrival  of  the  spring  birds.  As 
though  realizing  that  it  is  important  to  make  a  good 
impression,  they  come  arrayed  in  their  very  best  gar- 
ments, all  of  these  new,  and  some  a  wedding  outfit. 

Everything  considered,  the  birds  are  remarkably 
regular  in  their  return  each  spring  according  to  cal- 
75 


76  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

endar.  Each  species  has  a  certain  normal  time  of 
arrival,  and  in  most  years  the  dates  will  not  vary 
much.  It  seems  wonderful  that,  with  only  instinct 
to  guide,  they  can  sense  the  time  as  nearly  as  they  do. 
There  is,  however,  some  variation,  depending  upon 
the  weather.  Unseasonable  warmth  will  bring  the 
birds  on  prematurely,  and  continued  cold  will  keep 
them  back,  or  at  least  the  majority  of  them.  Yet 
even  then  there  are  often  individuals  in  whom  the  in- 
stinct is  so  strong  that  they  brave  cold  and  storm  and 
come  on  time.  The  problem  of  the  origin  and  cause 
of  migration  still  remains  shrouded  in  mystery,  which 
adds  all  the  more  interest  to  observation  of  it.  It 
will  be  largely  through  gathering  of  data  by  many 
observers  everywhere  that  we  can  hope  to  come  to  a 
better  understanding  of  it. 

The  watching  of  the  migration  will  give  special 
pleasure  if  several  observers  in  a  locality  work  to- 
gether. It  is  really  very  exciting  to  try  to  "be  the 
first  to  record  the  arrival  of  the  various  species.  One 
has  a  sense  of  achievement  in  being  the  first  to  see 
and  report  the  new  appearance,  especially  if  it  is  some 
very  early  or  unusual  one. 

In  the  case  of  those  who  expect  to  go  afield  at  this 
time  with  considerable  frequency  and  regularity,  I 
suggest  that  they  write  to  the  Bureau  of  Biological 
Survey,  Washington,  and  secure  data-blanks  for  re- 
cording migration.  There  is  a  column  on  the  left 
where  the  names  of  species  are  to  be  put  down  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  seen.  In  other  spaces  oppo- 


THE  SPRING  MIGRATION  77 

site  can  be  given  the  dates  when  first  seen,  when  at 
greatest  abundance,  and,  in  the  case  of  those  proceed- 
ing further,  when  last  noted.  This  will  not  only 
furnish  neat  and  convenient  stationery  for  one's  own 
records,  but  the  copy  returned  to  the  Department  at 
the  end  of  the  season  will  be  a  real  contribution  to 
science. 

Quite  a  number  of  our  hardier  familiar  land-birds 
winter  in  the  Southern  States  and  return  to  their  fa- 
miliar nesting-haunts  comparatively  early  in  the 
spring.  Of  some  of  these  a  few  individuals  are  occa- 
sionally seen  in  Northern  States  in  winter.  Such 
species  are  the  robin,  bluebird,  song  sparrow,  red- 
winged  and  crow  blackbirds,  meadowlark,  kingfisher, 
cedar-bird,  purple  finch,  woodcock,  and  various  oth- 
ers. But  the  great  majority  pass  on  to  Central  or 
South  America.  On  the  return  migration  in  spring, 
some  come  by  the  all-land  route,  through  Mexico  and 
Texas,  but  more  of  those  that  reach  the  eastern  dis- 
tricts prefer  to  fly  across  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Of 
these,  some  take  the  easier  route  through  Cuba  or 
other  islands  of  the  West  Indies  to  southern  Florida. 
This  route  affords  convenient  resting-places  to  break 
the  long  journey. 

The  flight  from  Cuba  to  the  Florida  keys  is  only 
about  one  hundred  miles,  yet,  when  I  cruised  off  the 
keys  one  April,  I  saw  many  flocks  of  small  migrants 
flying  low  over  the  water  headed  for  the  land,  some 
of  which  were  almost  exhausted.  Yet  it  is  surprising 
that  the  great  majority  of  these  migrants  prefer  to 


78  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

fly  directly  across  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  to  Louisiana, 
Mississippi,  Alabama,  Georgia,  or  northern  Florida, 
without  a  single  opportunity  to  rest.  Many  of  them 
are  feeble  fliers,  and  during  unfavorable  weather  the 
loss  of  life  must  be  appalling. 

From  the  Gulf  States  the  time  required  to  migrate 
to  the  latitude  of  New  England,  according  to  abun- 
dant data  secured  by  the  Bureau  of  Biological  Sur- 
vey, seems  to  be  ordinarily  just  about  one  month. 
Some  species  move  more  slowly  and  take  about  six 
weeks,  while  a  few  do  it  in  half  that  time.  These 
estimates  are  based  upon  the  average  progress  of  a 
species  as  a  whole,  and  not  on  what  a  lively  individual 
might  do.  The  dates  of  arrival  which  I  shall  men- 
tion are  for  the  latitude  of  New  York  City  and  south- 
ern New  England.  From  these,  according  to  the 
rate  of  progress  as  above,  one  can  approximate  the 
time  for  arrival  in  other  localities. 

The  migratory  movement  begins  before  there  is 
much  sign  of  real  spring.  In  some  years  by  the  last 
week  in  February,  if  there  should  be  a  mild  spell  and 
thaw,  the  first  early  spring  birds  suddenly  appear. 
Our  hardy  quartette  are  the  bluebird,  robin,  red- 
winged  blackbird,  and  song  sparrow.  Each  of  these 
is  occasionally  seen  throughout  the  winter.  About 
the  tenth  of  March,  though,  is  more  usually  their 
time  of  arrival.  Should  the  weather  continue  cold 
and  stormy  up  to  that  time,  and  then  a  decided  warm 
wave  ensue,  these  birds  will  arrive  almost  en  masse, 
and  simultaneously  with  them  some  that  are  usually 


Woodcock  dabbling  in  margins. 


Woodcock  running,  showing  "flag." 


THE  SPRING  MIGRATION  79 

due  about  the  middle  of  the  month.  This  was  the 
case  on  the  twelfth  of  March,  1907,  when  the  de- 
serted landscape  of  southern  New  England  was  sud- 
denly alive  with  birds,  which  had  arrived  during  the 
night.  With  the  early  four  came  crow  blackbirds, 
meadowlarks,  cedar-birds,  phoebes,  cowbirds,  flickers, 
and  an  accession  to  the  winter  supply  of  crows,  and 
probably  others  which  I  failed  to  note.  Some  of 
these  are  not  ordinarily  seen  until  the  twentieth,  or 
after. 

The  woodcock  is  due  at  this  time,  when  one  would 
think  it  impossible  that  there  should  be  soft  ground 
in  which  it  could  bore,  or  worms  therein  to  keep  it 
from  starving.  But  if  one  will  seek  out  open  springs 
in  warm  sheltered  spots  on  the  edge  of  woods,  with 
southern  exposure,  the  reward  may  be  the  very  pretty 
sight  of  the  long-billed  bird,  in  the  rich  hues  of  new 
plumage,  flushing  at  close  range  and  tamely  alighting 
not  far  beyond. 

Soon  after  the  first  woodcock  we  may  expect  to  en- 
counter small  parties  of  fox  sparrows  along  the  road- 
sides or  in  the  woods,  and  toward  the  end  of  March, 
the  swamp,  vesper,  and  field  sparrows.  Though  the 
birds  which  have  already  arrived  increase  in  numbers 
and  the  females,  which  are  preceded  by  the  males, 
have  put  in  their  appearance,  additional  species  are 
slow  to  come,  and  meanwhile  the  winter  birds  are 
leaving  for  the  north.  Many  water  and  raptorial 
birds  arrive  early,  as  will  be  told  farther  on. 

During  early  April  the  tiny  kinglets  are  in  evi- 


8o  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

dence.  The  golden-crown,  which  has  been  occasional 
in  the  winter,  has  become  more  numerous  where  there 
are  evergreens,  and  now  the  ruby-crown  has  joined 
it.  The  former  has  yellow  on  the  crown, —  the  male 
orange  and  yellow, —  while  in  the  other  the  crown- 
patch  is  fiery  red  and  the  female  lacks  that  ornament 
entirely.  We  begin  to  see  the  purple  finch  in  num- 
bers, though  sometimes  it  arrives  earlier.  The 
American  pipit,  in  small  numbers,  which  can  be  rec- 
ognized by  its  habit  of  wagging  the  tail,  runs  about 
open,  rather  barren  fields  or  hill-tops,  picking  up 
food.  The  first  of  the  warbler  host,  the  myrtle  and 
yellow  palm  warblers,  arrive. 

By  the  middle  of  the  month  we  are  glad  to  greet 
the  hermit  thrush,  though  he  does  not  yet  condescend 
to  sing  for  us,  and  the  first  straggling  swallows, — 
tree,  bank,  and  barn, —  which  do  not  necessarily 
make  a  summer,  for  sometimes  it  snows  after  their 
arrival.  Then,  when  they  disappear,  we  fear  that 
they  have  perished,  for  there  is  room  for  grave  doubt 
as  to  whether  individual  birds  caught  too  far  north 
can  run  back  for  a  time,  as  is  the  popular  impression 
that  they  do.  We  may  fear  that  a  swallow  without 
food  in  a  snowstorm  would  not  get  very  far,  poor 
thing !  Though  they  perish,  others  in  due  time  ar- 
rive, and  people  gladly  imagine  that  they  are  the  same 
ones.  The  birds  have  no  warm  Pullmans  and  din- 
ing cars  in  which  to  journey. 

During  the  last  days  of  April  the  great  wave  of  mi- 
gration, in  middle  latitudes,  begins  to  be  felt.  In 


THE  SPRING  MIGRATION  81 

these  days  we  see  the  first  individuals  of  such  typical 
summer  species  as  the  brown  thrasher,  towhee,  whip- 
poorwill,  chimney-swift,  and  a  few  more  of  the  war- 
blers, especially  the  black-throated  green,  black  and 
white,  and  oven-bird.  By  the  second  week  of  May 
everything  is  pouring  in  at  once,  and  a  list  of  arrivals 
would  include  about  all  the  small  birds  not  yet  men- 
tioned. By  the  twenty-fifth  of  May  most  of  the 
birds  which  go  farther  north  have  passed  on,  the  rear 
of  the  procession  being  brought  up  by  the  blackpoll 
in  the  opening  days  of  June,  though  occasionally  the 
migration  is  greatly  retarded  when  the  season  is  cold 
and  backward. 

During  the  periods  of  migration  there  are  some 
things  of  value  which  may  be  learned,  if  students  will 
bear  them  in  mind.  For  one  thing  we  need  to  know 
more  of  the  effect  of  weather  and  storms  upon  birds. 
Hence  it  is  well  to  make  note  of  conditions  of 
weather  —  wind,  approximate  temperature,  and  pre- 
cipitation —  in  connection  with  the  other  observa- 
tions. In  time  a  series  of  such  notes,  especially  from 
many  observers,  would  be  of  great  interest  and  value. 
Make  record  of  birds  killed  by  storms.  Have  an  eye 
out,  too,  as  far  as  possible,  for  the  directions  in  which 
birds  are  seen  migrating,  their  special  lines  of  flight, 
if  any.  From  this  we  may  gain  new  information  as 
to  their  movements. 

Birds  do  not  always,  by  any  means,  migrate  directly 
north  and  south,  as  they  are  popularly  supposed  to  do. 
There  seem  to  be  certain  "  rivers  "  of  migration,  we 


82  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

might  call  them,  corresponding  to  the  "  lanes  of  nav- 
igation "  used  by  trans-Atlantic  steamships.  River- 
valleys  are  notable  highways  of  migration,  as  is  the 
coast-line.  Certain  species  are  peculiarly  limited  in 
their  distribution  and  migrate  only  along  rather  well- 
defined  pathways,  especially  along  the  valleys  of  riv- 
ers or  the  sides  of  mountain  ranges. 

In  some  cases  the  course  of  migratory  birds  is  lo- 
cally deflected  by  conditions  of  topography.  In  il- 
lustration of  this  last  it  has  been  shown  by  Dr.  L.  B. 
Bishop,  as  a  result  of  a  long  series  of  observations, 
that  land-birds  in  migration  following  the  Connecticut 
shore-line,  when  they  come  within  sight  of  New  Ha- 
ven Harbor,  are  deflected  and  fly  miles  inland  around 
this  bay,  rather  than  venture  a  mile  or  two  across  it. 

For  many  people  the  period  of  the  spring  migra- 
tion is  filled  with  exacting  demands  upon  their  time. 
We  begrudge  the  hours  of  joy  and  sunshine  in  which 
we  find  ourselves  cooped  up  indoors.  I  can  still  see 
myself  writing  examinations  when  the  birds  were 
warbling  outside,  literally  gnashing  my  teeth  in  im- 
potent vexation.  Well,  perhaps  we  appreciate  the 
spring  birds  even  thus  more  than  though  we  could 
always  be  among  them.  Perhaps  if  we  systematize 
the  time,  we  can  add  to  our  opportunities.  It  may 
be  a  case  of  "  early  to  bed  and  early  to  rise." 

Much  can  be  done  even  in  a  few  odd  moments 
from  time  to  time.  The  birds  in  the  spring  migra- 
tion are  more  in  evidence  than  at  any  other  period. 
They  are  on  the  move  and  in  sight,  they  sing  loudly 


THE  SPRING  MIGRATION  83 

and  constantly,  they  invade  the  garden  with  their  wel- 
come presence  and  come  to  our  very  doors.  Even 
from  the  window,  if  there  are  trees  near-by,  some 
have  seen  rare  and  interesting  birds  —  as  when  a 
friend  of  mine,  one  spring,  from  his  windows  was 
able,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life,  to  study  Tennessee 
warblers. 

The  main  trouble  with  this  delightful  period  is 
that  it  is  too  short.  Before  we  realize,  it  has  slipped 
away  from  us.  Fortunately  there  are  other  good 
things  in  store.  And  if  we  have  made  good  use  of 
our  opportunities  with  the  swiftly-moving  procession, 
we  have  gained  a  fund  of  experience  and  knowledge, 
of  valuable  notes,  of  delightful  remembrance,  which 
will  remain  to  us  as  capital  with  which  to  enlarge  our 
enjoyment. 


THE  NESTING  SEASON 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  NESTING  SEASON 

AS  the  spring  migration  passes  into  history,  we 
are  compensated  by  finding  ourselves 
launched  upon  the  full  tide  of  what  is  in 
many  ways  the  best  time  of  all,  the  height  of  the  nest- 
ing season,  the  time  of  love,  of  jubilant  song,  of  beau- 
tiful home-life.  It  affords  golden  opportunities  for 
intimate  acquaintance  with  the  life  of  many  of  the 
birds.  During  migration  we  see  many  of  the  birds 
individually,  but  of  each  one  we  gain  at  best  but  a 
fleeting  glimpse  ere  it  is  gone,  probably  to  be  seen 
no  more.  But  when  we  find  a  nesting-site  we  can 
return  again  and  again  to  meet  the  same  birds,  ob- 
serve their  individual  traits,  learn  how  they  spend 
their  time,  what  they  eat,  how  they  build  their  homes, 
how  long  it  takes  to  build,  lay  eggs,  incubate,  rear 
their  young,  how  they  feed  them,  and  all  sorts  of  de- 
tails of  their  lives.  Moreover,  this  is  the  time  of 
all  to  secure  photographs. 

The  height  of  the  nesting-season,  in  the  Middle 

and  Northern  States,  is  from  about  the  twenty-fifth 

of  May  to  the  twentieth  of  June,   four  wonderful 

weeks  of  special  opportunity.     Short  and  fleeting  it 

8? 


88  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

is !  Ten  or  twelve  days  of  incubation,  and  eight  or 
ten  only  for  the  young  to  grow  from  blind  and  naked 
worms  to  pretty  birdlings  fluttering  from  the  nest. 
By  the  middle  of  June  we  begin  to  meet  warblers 
which  scold  anxiously  at  us,  and  just  as  we  think  we 
shall  surely  find  a  nest,  we  see  the  other  parent  fly  up 
on  a  branch  and  feed  a  youngster  which  is  well  able 
to  fly.  The  beginning  of  the  end !  we  sigh. 

The  intelligent  finding  of  birds'  nests  is  in  itself 
an  art,  involving  skilled  knowledge  both  of  topog- 
raphy and  of  the  habits  of  the  birds,  as  well  as  keen, 
trained  eyes  and  an  alert  mind.  Interesting  and  won- 
derful are  the  methods  used  by  birds  in  concealing  or 
protecting  their  nests.  Some  best  secure  their  ends 
by  confiding  in  man  and  building  openly  on  his  prem- 
ises—  like  the  robin,  bluebird,  chippy,  phoebe,  house 
wren,  and  the  swallows.  Others,  like  the  woodcock, 
nighthawk,  and  whippoorwill  lay  their  eggs  boldly 
on  open  ground  and  trust  to  "  protective  coloration," 
the  blending  of  their  colors  and  markings  with  the  sur- 
roundings. Of  another  type  are  nests  built  on  the 
ground,  hidden  in  grass,  debris,  or  foliage. 

Some  nests  in  trees  closely  resemble  their  sur- 
roundings, as  those  of  the  hummer,  wood  pewee,  and 
redstart.  Other  nests  are  concealed  among  thick 
foliage,  as  those  of  warblers  which  build  high  in  ever- 
greens, like  the  black-throated  green  and  Blackbur- 
nian,  or  of  thicket-nesting  birds,  such  as  the  chat  and 
catbird.  Another  class  protect  themselves  by  build- 
ing high,  like  hawks  and  owls  in  tall  trees,  or  ravens 


Xest  of  Blue-Winged  Warbler.     A  nest  found  only  by  days  of 
search. 


Nest  of  Northern  Yellow-Throat,  requiring  vigilance  to  discover. 

—p.  94 


THE  NESTING  SEASON  89 

and  guillemots  on  cliffs.  Many  water-birds  select 
lonely,  inaccessible  islands. 

Nests  can  be  successfully  hunted  and  found  both 
by  special  and  general  search.  In  the  first  case  one 
has  in  mind  some  particularly  desired  nest.  The 
thing  to  do  is  to  become  familiar  with  the  bird  at 
sight,  its  songs  or  notes,  and  learn  what  sort  of 
places  it  frequents  and  chooses  for  nesting.  This 
can  be  ascertained  in  various  ways  —  through  books, 
from  friends.  Then  go  out  and  hunt  for  birds  of 
that  kind.  When  one  is  found,  especially  if  it  be  seen 
repeatedly  near  one  place,  the  nest  will  not  be  very 
far  off.  To  be  sure,  it  may  be  a  hundred  or  two 
yards  away,  in  any  direction,  or  much  more  with  large 
birds,  which  gives  wide  latitude  for  searching.  But 
if  one  knows,  even  from  reading,  where  to  look,  in 
many  cases  the  area  for  search  can  be  greatly  nar- 
rowed, and  it  becomes  largely  a  matter  of  persistence, 
activity,  and  keenness  of  observation  to  find  the  nest. 

When  it  comes  to  the  general  search,  to  go  out 
somewhere  and  look  around  for  anything  that  may 
turn  up,  even  the  person  who  knows  nothing  of  birds 
is  liable  to  flush  birds  from  their  nests  by  merely 
"  stirring  around  "  or  to  spy  out  some  of  them.  Yet 
one  will  accomplish  far  more  through  having  at  least 
read  about  the  birds,  knowing  what  kinds  to  look 
for  in  the  locality  chosen  for  the  search,  and  how  and 
where  these  birds  nest.  Such  knowledge  will  keep 
one  from  wasting  time  in  unlikely  places  or  from  look- 
ing in  the  wrong  place  for  the  nest  of  some  bird  which 


90  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

is  seen.  One  might  see  a  ground-builder  in  trees  and 
gaze  upward  all  day,  to  no  purpose.  It  is  important 
also  to  have  in  mind  the  approximate  period  when 
each  species  can  be  expected  to  be  nesting. 

Though  the  majority  of  the  birds  nest  in  late  May 
or  June,  it  does  not  follow  that  the  opportunities  of 
nesting-time  are  confined  to  that  halcyon  period.  If 
we  travel,  even  in  our  own  country,  we  can  find  some 
birds  breeding  throughout  the  greater  part  of  the 
year.  In  south-east  Florida  the  brown  pelicans  and 
bald  eagles  begin  to  nest  as  early  as  November,  and 
in  the  North  various  birds  are  not  through  until  late 
in  August,  or  even  in  September. 

In  the  Middle  and  Northern  States  the  great 
horned  owl  fires  the  opening  gun,  so  to  speak,  usually 
in  late  February,  and  the  various  large  raptorial  birds 
follow  in  March  and  April.  The  woodcock  has  eggs 
early  in  the  latter  month.  Ordinarily  the  first  of  the 
smaller  birds  to  lay  is  the  bluebird,  from  the  tenth  of 
April  and  on,  followed  as  a  close  second  by  the  robin, 
and  also  the  song  sparrow,  white-breasted  nuthatch, 
hairy  woodpecker,  crow,  crow  blackbird,  and  Euro- 
pean starling.  This  is  ignoring  the  English  sparrow, 
which  seems  to  be  multiplying  its  kind  during  a  good 
part  of  the  whole  year. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  an  eye  out  for  these  early 
nestings,  so  as  to  save  time  later  for  other  things. 
The  bluebird  and  nuthatch  use  hollow  limbs  or  holes 
in  trees,  generally  near  houses,  unless  the  former  con- 
sents to  occupy  a  box.  This  also  is  the  habit  of  the 


THE  NESTING  SEASON  91 

starling,  when  it  does  not  creep  into  some  shed  or  the 
cornice  of  a  building.  The  grackle's  favorite  locality 
is  the  evergreens  in  gardens.  The  hairy  woodpecker 
prefers  the  woods,  or  swamps  where  there  are  dead 
stubs  in  which,  or  else  in  the  solid  wood  of  live  trunks, 
it  digs  out  the  hole  for  its  nest.  The  song  sparrow's 
secret  we  discover  as  we  tramp  about  and  flush  it 
from  the  well-hidden  nest  on  the  ground  amid  the 
tangle  of  grass,  weeds,  or  bush,  located  almost  any- 
where in  open  land —  wet  or  dry,  it  makes  little  dif- 
ference which. 

During  May,  not  to  speak  now  of  birds  of  prey  and 
water-birds,  the  blue  jay,  kingfisher,  vesper  sparrow, 
and  ruffed  grouse  are  at  it  good  and  early.  The 
sparrow  chooses  open  ground  in  a  dry  field,  while  the 
kingfisher  hides  in  a  deep  tunnel  in  a  bank,  usually 
where  some  excavation  has  been  made  for  gravel  or  in 
cutting  a  road.  Almost  anywhere  in  deep  woods  we 
are  liable  to  flush  the  mother  grouse  from  her  large 
assortment  of  eggs,  usually  at  the  foot  of  some  tree 
or  bush  or  by  log  or  underbrush.  The  jay  nests  in 
woods  or  pasture,  even  in  the  garden  in  some  fruit 
or  shade  tree,  but  it  likes  a  cedar  or  other  evergreen 
pretty  well. 

The  next  installment,  about  the  second  ten  days  o£ 
May,  are  the  swamp,  field  and  chipping  sparrows, 
meadowlark,  phoebe,  barn  swallow,  and  Louisiana 
water  thrush.  Look  for  the  swamp  sparrows'  nests 
in  tussocks  of  grass  in  swamps,  field  sparrows'  in  pas- 
tures, under  or  in  low  bushes  and  weed-clumps. 


92  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

Chippy  builds  in  trees,  vines,  or  bushes  in  garden,  or- 
chard, or  pasture,  and  phoebe  and  the  barn  swallow 
like  barns  or  old  buildings,  though  both  in  wild  dis- 
tricts, particularly  the  former,  attach  their  nests  to 
ledges  of  rocks;  an  old  bridge  delights  the  phoebe's 
heart.  The  meadowlark  chooses  an  open  field,  and 
locates  the  nest  at  the  foot  of  a  tussock,  usually  with 
grass  arched  over  it.  It  is  difficult  to  find  unless  one 
can  flush  the  bird,  but  ordinarily  the  male  gives  warn- 
ing and  the  female  slips  away.  Sometimes,  though, 
I  have  surprised  her  and  made  her  reveal  her  secret. 
The  water  thrush  likes  to  build  under  the  roots  of 
an  upturned  tree  or  old  stump  in  a  wooded  swamp, 
or  else  in  a  recess  of  the  steep  bank  cut  by  a  woodland 
torrent. 

Then  the  flicker,  downy  woodpecker,  chickadee, 
purple  finch,  wood  thrush,  brown  thrasher,  chewink, 
veery,  oven-bird,  blue-winged  warbler,  Baltimore  ori- 
ole, and  others  get  busy.  During  the  last  days  of 
May  the  "  advanced  "  individuals  of  almost  any  one 
of  the  species,  with  some  few  exceptions,  are  liable 
to  have  completed  their  nests  and  begun  the  task  of 
incubation.  By  about  the  fifth  of  June  nearly  all 
the  birds  have  eggs,  and  some  are  already  hatching. 

The  early  part  of  the  general  nesting  period,  when 
so  many  of  the  birds  are  building,  is  a  splendid  time 
to  locate  nests  by  watching  the  birds  carrying  material. 
A  bird  with  any  substance  in  its  bill  becomes  to  the 
bird-student  a  very  suspicious  personage,  needing  care- 
ful following.  In  a  favorable  locality  near  home, 


THE  NESTING  SEASON  93 

or  around  the  house,  where  one  can  do  considerable 
watching,  it  is  a  good  idea  for  one  to  scatter  possible 
nesting  material  in  the  shape  of  bits  of  cotton,  cloth, 
or  yarn,  and  various  birds  may  carry  it  off,  thus  mak- 
ing it  possible  to  trace  them  to  their  nests. 

A  little  judicious  inquiry  is  often  an  excellent  means 
of  finding  desirable  nests.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  ask 
any  farmer  or  boy  whom  I  meet  afield  if  he  has  seen 
any  interesting  birds  or  knows  of  any  nests,  explain- 
ing my  purpose,  that  I  do  not  wish  to  rob  them,  only 
to  study  the  birds  and  take  photographs.  In  this 
way  many  a  desirable  nest  has  come  to  me  with  little 
effort,  which  otherwise  I  should  not  have  found — 
such  nests  as  those  of  hawks  and  owls,  woodcock, 
wood  duck,  dusky  duck,  quail,  ruffed  grouse,  meadow- 
lark,  and  many  others.  People  living  and  work- 
ing in  the  country  run  across  such  things,  especially 
in  cutting  timber  or  brush  and  in  mowing.  A  little 
courtesy  will  often  be  repaid  many  fold. 

In  open  fields  or  meadows,  where  a  number  of 
kinds  of  birds  are  liable  to  be  nesting,  it  is  an  excel- 
lent plan  to  beat  over  the  ground  systematically,  on 
general  principles,  trying  to  flush  birds  from  their 
nests.  A  good  time  to  do  this  is  in  the  evening  or  in 
wet  weather  when  birds  are  almost  sure  to  be  sitting. 
More  ground  by  far  can  be  covered  if  one  can  secure 
help,  perhaps  from  a  boy,  and  drag  a  long  rope  be- 
tween them  over  the  grass.  As  the  rope  comes 
swishing  over  the  head  of  the  sitting  bird,  in  most 
cases  it  will  flush,  and  reveal  the  whereabouts  of  the 


94  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

nest.  By  this  method,  on  a  grassy  island  in  a  lake 
out  in  Saskatchewan,  a  friend  and  I  once  found  in 
one  hour  about  thirty-five  nests  of  various  species  of 
wild  ducks  which  were  hidden  in  the  grass. 

Bushy,  weedy,  and  briary  tracts  are  good  places  for 
the  nests  of  quite  a  variety  of  birds.  In  such  a  place 
it  pays  well  to  course  through  it  systematically,  and 
with  a  long  light  switch  strike  at  every  bush,  pile,  or 
clump  of  any  sort,  wherever  a  nest  might  be  con- 
cealed. By  keeping  patiently  at  this,  one  can  be 
pretty  sure,  in  time,  to  find  various  nests  of  any  of  the 
kinds  of  birds  which  are  found  in  such  a  place.  The 
same  tactics  should  be  pursued  in  a  swamp.  It  all 
means  activity  and  hard  work,  but  it  pays. 

In  such  searchings  one  needs  to  be  constantly  on 
the  alert,  watchful  for  the  slightest  clue,  the  faintest 
note  or  sound,  the  merest  suggestion  of  movement. 
Otherwise  a  great  deal  will  be  overlooked.  Often 
upon  the  merest  trifle  hangs  all  the  difference  between 
success  and  failure.  With  the  faintest  rustle  a  rare 
rail  or  a  short-billed  marsh  wren  will  slip  from  the 
nest  and  skulk  off  into  the  depths  of  secrecy.  One 
day  while  tramping  through  a  swamp,  I  thought  1 
heard  a  slight  sound,  and  looking  quickly  around, 
I  barely  caught  sight  of  a  quick  movement,  so  quick, 
indeed,  that  I  hardly  knew  whether  I  had  really  seen 
anything  or  not.  It  might  have  been  a  frog  that 
jumped. 

I  stopped  short  in  my  tracks,  laid  my  handkerchief 
on  a  sprout  to  mark  the  spot,  and  began  to  look 


Nighthawk  leaving  nest  near  foot  of  weed. 


Nighthawk  nesting  on  low  rock  in  open  field. 


THE  NESTING  SEASON  95 

around.  There  was  no  need  to  extend  the  search. 
Right  between  my  feet,  in  a  small  tussock  of  coarse 
grass,  with  the  leaf  of  a  skunk  cabbage  arching  over 
it,  was  a  little  nest  with  five  white,  sparsely  spotted 
eggs.  The  owner  had  not  left  till  I  was  fairly  tread- 
ing on  her,  and  now  kept  carefully  out  of  sight. 
Though  I  thought  it  was  the  nest  of  a  yellow-throat, 
there  was  no  telling  but  that  it  might  belong  to  a 
mourning  or  Connecticut  warbler,  or  some  rarity.  So 
I  crouched  down  behind  a  bush  and  waited  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  when  I  saw  the  female  yellow-throat 
slinking  anxiously  through  the  tangle,  chirping  her 
disapproval  of  my  wayward  course.  What  business 
had  I  to  be  in  a  lonely  swamp  tramping  over  her 
nest! 

When  the  young  are  hatched,  the  parent  bird  will 
be  more  in  evidence,  searching  for  food  and  carrying 
it  to  the  nest.  This  gives  an  excellent  opportunity  to 
trace  it  out  by  watching  the  old  birds. 

Do  not  imagine,  when  the  twentieth  of  June  is 
reached,  that  the  nesting  season  is  over.  Some  indi- 
vidual pairs  of  birds  have  been  tardy,  or  have  had 
some  accident  to  their  first  nest  and  have  built  again. 
Various  species  often,  and  in  some  cases  habitually, 
raise  a  second  brood.  The  robin,  bluebird,  phoebe, 
catbird,  quail,  red-winged  blackbird,  all  the  swallows, 
and  most  of  the  sparrows,  notably  the  song,  swamp, 
chipping,  field,  vesper,  and  savanna,  habitually  raise 
two  broods.  Others  which  sometimes  do,  most  of 
them  to  my  personal  knowledge,  are  the  house  and 


96  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

long-billed  marsh  wrens,  chickadee,  yellow-throat, 
black  and  white  creeper,  red-eyed  vireo,  chewink,  pur- 
ple finch,  meadowlark,  hummingbird,  and  scarlet  tan- 
ager.  Probably  there  are  others  which  do  so  occa- 
sionally, or  at  any  rate  have  late  broods. 

The  nesting-time  gives  great  opportunity  for  learn- 
ing very  many  things  about  the  lives  of  even  our  com- 
mon birds.  Careful  noting  of  all  details  of  the 
habits  of  birds  is  very  interesting  and  rewarding,  and 
accurate  record  should  be  made  of  everything  that  is 
observed. 

Avoid  contracting  the  craze  for  collecting  eggs. 
It  is  contrary  to  law,  except  to  the  few  to  whom 
permits  are  granted,  and  is  unnecessary,  in  these  days 
of  illustrated  books  and  well-stored  museums.  Ex- 
cept in  the  case  of  some  few  extreme  rarities,  science 
has  little  more  to  learn  from  such  collecting.  In  fact 
it  is  often  anti-scientific,  and  I  know  of  cases  where, 
for  the  sake  of  a  hoard,  some  of  the  rarest  opportuni- 
ties for  the  real  advancement  of  science  have  been, 
destroyed.  The  present  need  is  for  detailed,  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  living  birds  rather  than  dead  ones, 
and  along  this  line  there  is  a  splendid  field  for  re- 
search. We  may  say  of  the  scientific  study  of  the 
birds  of  North  America  that  the  nineteenth  century 
discovered  and  described  them,  and  that  it  will  be 
the  work  of  the  twentieth  century  to  advance  our 
knowledge  of  their  habits  and  economic  value. 

It  is  a  fact  that  there  are  few  birds,  if  any,  even 
the  most  common  species,  whose  biographies  have 


THE  NESTING  SEASON  97 

yet  been  exhaustively  or  adequately  written.  This 
will  afford  worthy  opportunity  for  generations  of 
students  yet  to  come.  An  excellent  way  to  make 
important  contributions  to  science  is  to  select  some 
one  species  and  try  to  make  a  thorough,  exhaustive 
investigation  of  its  life-history.  We  may  congratu- 
late ourselves  that  we  are  not  born  too  late  to  add  to 
the  sum-total  of  human  knowledge. 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME 


CHAPTER  VIII 
NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME 

MANY  people  seem  to  imagine  that  they  are 
debarred  from  opportunity  for  interesting 
experiences  afield  with  the  birds  because 
they  live  in  town  or  city,  and  not  in  a  wild  natural 
paradise.  Perhaps  it  may  help  to  reassure  them  if 
I  tell  about  some  of  my  good  times  during  the  spring 
and  early  summer  of  1909,  within  easy  reach  of  my 
home  in  the  suburbs  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  It 
simply  goes  to  show  that  no  one  need  feel  shut  off 
from  enjoyment  of  the  wild  birds  by  reason  of  lo- 
cality. 

On  May  29,  a  beautiful  bright  day,  right  after 
breakfast  I  took  a  trolley  car,  and  a  short  ride 
brought  me  near  the  edge  of  open  country,  from 
which  point  I  soon  was  in  a  large  tract  of  pasture- 
land  and  scrub  growth,  with  swamp  and  woods  near- 
by. There  was  a  fine  chorus  of  bird-songs,  and  I 
soon  had  noted  a  considerable  number  of  species  and 
had  found  nests  of  the  catbird,  robin,  and  song  and 
field  sparrows.  The  song  which  made  the  most  im- 
pression on  me  was  the  "  grand  opera  "  performance 
of  a  white-eyed  vireo  in  a  thicket  close  by  the  roadside. 
I  proceeded  to  investigate,  and  had  hardly  entered  the 
101 


102  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

tangle  when  I  came  face  to  face  with  the  female  vireo 
carrying  building  material,  and,  looking  about,  I  saw 
close  at  hand  the  nearly  finished  nest,  a  pretty  cup, 
suspended  from  the  fork  of  a  little  sapling,  only  two 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  male  soon  appeared,  and 
a  great  scolding  and  chattering  ensued. 

Withdrawing,  I  proceeded  farther  back  into  the 
scrub  pasture,  and  presently,  about  two  hundred  yards 
beyond  this,  what  should  I  see  but  another  white-eyed 
vireo  hopping  about  in  a  clump  of  chestnut-sprouts, 
carrying  building  material.  I  stood  perfectly  still, 
and  in  a  short  time  it  flew  about  ten  yards  to  the  be- 
ginnings of  a  nest  attached  to  a  low  fork,  two  feet  up, 
under  another  clump  of  chestnut-sprouts. 

I  was  back  there  on  the  twelfth  of  June.  Both 
birds  had  now  finished  their  nests  and  were  incubating 
full  sets,  the  first  of  four,  the  second  of  three.  They 
were  very  tame,  and  let  me  set  up  the  camera  and  pho- 
tograph them  on  the  nest,  though  I  was  only  four  or 
five  feet  away.  Both  nests  were  handsome  structures, 
but  especially  the  second,  which  was  a  long,  pointed, 
pendant  affair,  like  a  pouch.  At  each  nest  the  occu- 
pant, probably  the  female,  did  a  peculiar  thing,  which 
may  be  characteristic.  In  each  case  I  happened  to  ap- 
proach the  nest,  after  the  bird  had  left,  just  as  she 
returned.  Surprised  on  the  edge  of  the  nest,  instead 
of  flying  off,  she  assumed  a  crouching  attitude  and  re- 
mained right  there  perfectly  still,  as  long  as  I  cared 
to  wait.  In  one  case,  after  photographing  the  bird 
from  where  I  stood,  the  idea  came  to  me  of  getting 


White-Eyed  Vireo  delivering  a  large   contract. 

—p.  103 


White-Eyed    Vireo    "frozen"    at    nest. 

—pp.  102-3 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME      103 

a  close  view  from  above,  showing  bird,  nest  and  eggs. 
So  I  moved  the  camera  nearer,  and  the  bird  actually 
allowed  me  to  take  the  picture,  her  white-ringed  eyes 
staring  in  such  a  manner  that  no  one  could  doubt 
what  sort  of  a  vireo  she  was. 

Later  visits  were  made  after  the  young  were 
hatched.  The  birds  returned  and  fed  the  young  in 
my  presence,  as  I  sat  quietly  a  little  way  off,  and  I  se- 
cured some  pictures  of  the  feeding  process  by  using  a 
mirror  to  reflect  light,  as  I  am  unwilling  to  make  a 
practice  of  removing  occupied  nests  from  their  sur- 
roundings. On  June  30  I  made  the  final  trip.  The 
young  had  left  the  first  nest  some  time  before  this. 
On  the  26th  those  in  the  second  nest  were  practically 
featherless  and  about  half-grown,  but  now,  in  four 
days  they  had  become  fledged  and  had  gone.  As  I 
was  departing  I  had  the  good  luck  to  spy  one  of  them 
perched  in  a  briar-clump  ten  feet  from  the  deserted 
nest.  There  was  no  harm  now  in  removing  it,  so  I 
planted  it  a  few  feet  out  in  the  sunlight,  and  perched 
the  youngster  on  its  edge,  after  a  few  futile  efforts 
of  his  to  escape.  The  feeding  process  was  soon  in 
active  operation,  and  I  secured  some  beautiful  pic- 
tures. 

Another  "  find  "  near  the  vireos  was  an  oven-bird's 
nest,  on  June  12.  The  bird  darted  out  from  a  layer 
of  dry  leaves  in  an  opening  in  the  woods  by  a  path, 
and  I  readily  found  the  nest  under  the  leaves,  arched 
over  in  the  usual  manner.  There  were  four  eggs, 
one  of  them  a  cowbird's.  That  day  I  did  not  exper- 


104  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

iment,  but  on  the  lyth,  when  the  cowbird's  egg  and 
one  other  had  hatched,  I  set  the  camera  near,  under  a 
low  bower  of  leaves.  When  I  returned  the  parent 
was  just  leaving  the  nest,  standing  at  the  entrance,  and 
I  got  a  nice  picture  before  she  darted  off  at  the  sound 
of  the  shutter.  She  was  not  on  when  I  returned 
again,  so  I  took  the  camera  away. 

On  the  edge  of  these  same  oak  woods  I  often 
heard  a  redstart  singing  near  a  path.  Several  times 
I  looked  vainly  for  its  nest.  One  day,  as  I  ap- 
proached, I  heard  it  sing,  and  followed  it  up.  The 
sound  came  from  a  young  oak  beside  the  path,  and 
as  I  reached  the  tree  there  was  the  male  redstart  sing- 
ing lustily  just  below  his  nest,  on  which  the  female 
was  sitting.  It  was  a  pretty  cup,  saddled  in  the  main 
fork  of  the  slender  oak,  about  a  dozen  feet  up.  It 
blended  nicely  with  the  bark,  and  yet  from  one  direc- 
tion it  was  in  plain  sight  of  the  path  along  which  I 
had  frequently  walked.  How  could  I  have  been  so 
blind!  There  were  four  small  young  in  the  nest, 
showing  that  incubation  had  begun  during  the  last 
days  of  May. 

The  trees  were  too  slender  to  allow  setting  up  the 
camera  by  the  nest,  so  on  June  iyth  I  brought  my 
reflex  camera  and,  standing  in  the  path,  took  snap- 
shots of  the  parents  feeding  the  young,  as  they  came 
and  went  without  fear.  On  the  2  ist,  when  the  young 
were  quite  well  fledged,  I  took  a  couple  of  them  from 
the  nest,  posed  them  before  the  camera,  and  took  pic- 
tures as  the  mother  fed  them.  Bold  as  the  father 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME     105 

was  before,  this  was  too  much  for  his  nerves,  but  he 
sang  from  a  distance  to  encourage  his  mate.  After 
I  put  the  young  ones  back  in  the  nest,  both  the  par- 
ents resumed  feeding. 

Just  across  the  road  from  where  I  found  the  first 
vireo's  nest  was  a  farm-house,  near  which  were  sev- 
eral promising  subjects.  One  of  these  was  the  nest 
of  a  flicker,  or  "  yellow-hammer,"  a  hole  dug  into  a 
cedar  tree  close  to  the  road.  The  old  birds  were  fre- 
quently returning  to  feed  their  young,  ignoring  the 
numerous  autos.  Fortunately  the  hole  was  only  five 
feet  from  the  ground,  so  I  set  up  my  camera  against 
the  fence,  focused  on  the  nest,  and  by  pulling  a  thread 
from  a  distance  each  time  the  bird  returned,  easily 
secured  a  good  series  of  photographs. 

A  little  boy  who  lived  on  the  farm  became  inter- 
ested in  my  proceedings  and  showed  me  two  blue- 
birds' nests  with  young  in  the  pasture  near-by,  one  in 
a  low  hollow  of  the  tree,  the  other  in  a  hole  in  a 
stump.  The  birds  did  not  mind  the  camera  set  on 
a  tripod  near  the  nest,  and  I  took  pictures  of  their 
various  family  operations  of  feeding  the  young  and 
cleaning  the  nest.  There  was  also  a  song  sparrow's 
nest  in  a  low  thorny  clump  of  barberry  bushes 
browsed  short  by  the  cattle.  I  set  up  the  camera  near 
it,  covering  it  with  sumach  sprouts.  These  birds  also 
were  good  to  me  and  learned  to  run  fearlessly  before 
the  camera  and  enter  the  nest  by  the  little  thorny 
tunnel  to  feed  their  young.  The  boy  had  as  a  pet 
a  beautiful  male  rose-breasted  grosbeak  that  he  had 


106  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

found  with  a  slightly  injured  wing.  It  would  hop 
around  among  the  branches  wherever  we  chose  to 
place  it  and  gave  me  some  nice  pictures. 

It  would  take  too  much  space  to  tell  in  detail  of  all 
the  nests  that  I  discovered  all  over  this,  suburban 
region.  The  European  starling  I  found  nesting  in 
hollow  trees,  beginning  in  April.  In  my  yard  the 
purple  grackles  had  homes  in  the  spruces,  and  it  was 
amusing  to  watch  them.  In  the  woods  I  found  nests 
of  the  red-shouldered  hawk  in  tall  trees  during  April, 
and  later  came  across  nests  of  the  wood  thrush,  veery, 
and  red-eyed  vireo.  Beating  about  in  bushy  pastures 
or  scrub  land,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  discovering  nests 
of  the  blue-winged  warbler,  chewink,  chat,  brown 
thrasher,  and  chestnut-sided  warbler,  but  somehow 
the  rather  numerous  prairie  warbler  eluded  me.  The 
bushy  swamp  land  disclosed  nests  of  the  Maryland 
yellow-throat,  rose-breasted  grosbeak,  and  yellow 
warbler.  In  my  rambles  I  came  across  two  broods 
of  woodcock  able  to  fly,  and  various  other  matters 
of  interest,  all  of  which  goes  to  prove  that  people  can 
find  interesting  bird-life  near  home  if  they  will  but 
look  for  it. 

One  species  which  I  had  often  had  in  mind  to 
photograph  at  the  nest  was  the  long-billed  marsh- 
wren.  These  lively,  happy  little  birds,  fairly  bub- 
bling over  with  song,  are  so  ridiculously  tame  as  we 
meet  them  among  the  reeds  and  cat-tails  of  the  swamp 
that  I  believed  that  they  would  make  one  of  the  very 
easiest  subjects  for  the  camera,  as  well  as  one  of  the 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME     107 

most  artistic,  in  connection  with  their  curious  globular 
nests  suspended  among  the  tall  green  stems. 

Learning  from  a  friend  of  a  marsh  where  there 
were  plenty  of  them,  on  June  14,  after  quite  a  trolley 
ride,  I  alighted  at  the  edge  of  the  marsh,  and  soon 
was  wading  in  the  rushes  along  the  course  of  the 
brook.  On  all  sides  arose  the  wren-songs,  and  very 
quickly  I  was  finding  nests,  for  they  are  easy  to  see 
when  one  penetrates  to  where  they  are.  These  birds 
have  the  curious  habit  of  building  dummy  nests,  seem- 
ingly to  deceive  intruders  as  to  the  location  of  the 
real  one.  So  now,  about  one  out  of  every  half-dozen 
of  the  nests  examined  had  eggs,  nearly  all  with  in- 
complete sets,  for  the  bird  is  a  late  nester  and  waits 
for  the  reeds  to  grow  tall.  The  eggs  are  of  a  dark 
mahogany-brown  color,  but  are  out  of  sight,  for  the 
nest  is  entirely  arched  over,  and  the  eggs  are  laid 
inside.  Sometimes  the  birds  sang  or  scolded  within 
arm's  reach  of  me,  but  I  noticed  that  when  I  was  by 
a  real  nest  they  kept  entirely  away.  When  the  sets 
are  completed,  I  thought,  they  will  act  differently, 
especially  when  they  have  young. 

Detained  by  other  work,  it  was  July  5  before  I 
went  there  again,  to  meet  with  disappointment. 
Some  nests  had  been  robbed,  others  the  young  had 
recently  left.  An  all-day's  search  revealed  two  nests 
with  five  eggs,  second  sets,  only  one  of  these  being 
accessible  to  photograph.  The  next,  and  third,  trip 
was  July  14.  The  eggs  were  not  yet  hatched;  I  set 
the  camera,  with  rushes  arched  over  it,  and  hid  at  a 


io8  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

distance,  a  thread  connecting  me  with  the  shutter. 
In  two  hours  and  a  half  the  birds  did  not  venture  near 
the  nest,  though  now  and  then  one  would  come  close 
to  me,  either  singing  or  scolding.  During  this  wait 
I  made  one  excursion  off  and  found  another  nest  with 
four  eggs.  The  birds  made  a  great  fuss  when  I 
examined  their  dummy  nests,  but  were  silent  when  I 
was  near  their  real  home.  On  July  24  the  young  in 
both  nests  were  hatched  and  half-grown.  I  set  the 
camera  by  the  first  nest,  and  after  a  long  wait,  finding 
that  the  bird  would  not  come  near,  I  tried  the  other 
one,  thinking  that  these  birds  might  have  different 
dispositions,  but  it  was  the  same  old  story. 

As  near  as  I  could  make  out,  the  birds  were  shy 
of  me  as  well  as  of  the  camera,  though  I  had  hidden 
thirty  or  forty  feet  away  —  as  far  off  as  I  could  watch 
the  nest  through  the  rushes.  On  my  previous  visits 
I  had  left  my  focus-cloth  wrapped  around  some  of  the 
cat-tail  "  heads,"  in  a  way  to  resemble  a  camera,  and 
the  birds  were  accustomed  to  it.  My  last  hope  was 
to  try  the  umbrella  tent.  I  pitched  it,  where  I  usually 
hid,  on  July  26.  First  I  left  the  vicinity  entirely, 
and  sneaked  back  to  the  tent,  I  think  without  being 
seen  by  the  birds. 

Stripping  off  all  superfluous  clothing  to  keep  from 
melting,  I  knelt  in  the  mud,  and  waited,  keeping  my 
eyes  fixed  on  the  nest,  through  a  peek-hole.  For  two 
hours  there  was  not  a  sound,  save  that  a  few  times 
one  of  the  wrens  chattered  a  little  near  the  tent. 
Since  the  middle  of  July  their  songs  had  mostly 


Long-Billed  Marsh  Wren   at  nest.     Photographed  after  five  days 
of  effort. 

— p.  109 


Virginia  Rail  on  nest.    Taken  in  same  marsh  as  the  wren  above. 

—p.  158 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME      109 

ceased.  In  all  that  time  no  bird  went  near  the  nest. 
I  was  well-nigh  discouraged,  when  suddenly  I  saw 
a  movement,  and  a  wren  appeared  back  of  the  nest 
with  a  worm  1  Hope  revived  again,  though  I  feared 
that  her  courage  would  fail  and  that  she  would  not 
quite  dare  to  make  the  venture.  However  the  young 
were  calling  for  food,  and  after  five  minutes  of  par- 
leying she  hopped  on  a  stem  close  to  the  entrance  of 
the  nest,  but  flew  just  as  I  was  pulling  the  thread, 
spoiling  my  shot  I 

This  was  discouraging.  Now  the  bird  would  see 
me  for  sure,  and,  learning  of  my  presence,  keep  away 
for  the  rest  of  the  afternoon.  The  sun,  too,  was 
getting  dangerously  low.  Yes,  she  saw  me  and 
scolded,  but  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  wait  she  took 
a  grub  to  the  young,  and  I  snapped  her  in  the  act. 
She  darted  off  when  the  shutter  clicked,  but  soon 
came  back,  after  I  had  changed  the  plate,  and  this 
time  did  not  mind  the  shutter.  After  this  she,  or 
they,  abandoned  all  reserve,  either  convinced  that  I 
was  harmless,  or  yielding  to  the  inevitable,  and  made 
up  for  lost  time  in  feeding  the  little  wrens.  By  six 
o'clock,  when  the  shadow  had  crept  to  the  nest,  I  had 
eight  exposures,  six  of  which  were  successful,  a  fine 
series,  which  I  certainly  think  I  earned.  And  now 
I  have  no  more  delusions  as  to  the  tameness  of  the 
long-billed  marsh  wren.  I  have  photographed 
hawks,  and  am  inclined  to  think  that  this  wren  is 
about  as  shy  as  they,  in  a  way. 

An  incident  which  occurred  on  June  1 6  seems  to  me 


no  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

one  of  the  most  interesting  and  unusual  in  my  experi- 
ence. The  night  before  I  had  given  a  bird-lecture  in 
Hartford,  and  was  entertained  by  a  friend  in  the  city. 
In  an  adjoining  yard,  between  a  house  and  a  new  one 
going  up,  was  a  space  thirty  feet  wide  in  which  grew 
an  oak  tree.  On  a  horizontal  branch  twenty  feet 
from  the  ground  a  pair  of  scarlet  tanagers  had  act- 
ually built  their  nest,  despite  the  noise  of  the  carpen- 
ters, the  play  of  the  children  beneath  them,  and  the 
passing  on  the  street  close  by. 

I  had  been  told  of  the  nest  before  I  came  and  had 
brought  a  camera.  The  first  thing  in  the  morning 
I  borrowed  a  long  ladder  from  the  carpenters,  set  it 
up  against  the  nearest  branch,  about  eight  feet  from 
the  nest,  and  photographed  the  tamely  sitting  bird. 
Then  what  should  she  do  but  stand  up  on  the  edge 
of  her  nest  and  inspect  developments  in  her  nursery. 
Two  of  the  four  eggs  had  just  hatched,  and  she 
proceeded  to  eat  the  shells,  after  which  she  resumed 
her  brooding. 

To  try  for  a  picture  at  closer  range,  expecting  to 
flush  the  bird  and  leave  the  camera  set  attached  to 
the  ladder,  I  moved  the  latter  against  the  branch  with 
the  nest,  about  a  yard  from  it,  and  went  up.  To  my 
great  surprise  I  found  the  bird  still  brooding,  right 
before  me.  Some  twigs  and  leaves  impeded  the  view, 
so  very  carefully  and  quietly  I  bent  them  back  tempo- 
rarily, my  fingers  almost  touching  the  bird,  yet  she 
never  stirred.  She  then  let  me  screw  up  the  camera 
and  take  all  the  portraits  of  her  I  wanted. 


NESTING  EPISODES  NEAR  HOME     in 

The  idea  came  to  me  to  try  to  depict  her  tameness, 
so  I  made  ready  for  an  exposure,  and,  holding  the 
bulb  in  one  hand,  touched  her  with  the  index  finger 
of  the  other.  Instead  of  flying  off  in  terror,  she 
actually  pecked  the  intruding  member.  I  was  all  the 
time  very  gentle  with  her,  and  presently  I  found  that 
I  could  do  anything  with  her  that  I  wished.  Next  I 
stroked  her,  then  raised  her  up  a  little,  and  finally 
took  her  in  my  hand  and  lifted  her  off  the  nest.  Not 
only  did  she  make  no  effort  to  escape,  but  perched 
tamely  on  my  fingers,  and  then  hopped  back  to 
cover  her  young.  Of  all  these  events  I  secured  pic- 
tures. 

Twice  the  brilliant  scarlet  and  black  male  returned 
with  food  for  her.  Had  I  not  been  there,  he  might 
have  come  to  the  nest  to  feed  her,  but  as  it  was  she 
flew  up  to  him  in  the  tree,  where  he  fed  and  caressed 
her  and  then  departed,  after  scolding  me  a  bit.  On 
another  occasion  she  flew  off,  but  came  back  in  a  mo- 
ment with  her  mouth  full  of  soft,  regurgitated  food, 
which  she  fed  to  the  young,  unabashed,  though  I 
stood  there  on  the  ladder  within  easy  reach  of  her. 
I  even  touched  her  as  she  did  this,  without  alarming 
her  at  all. 

My  last  "  stunt  "  was  to  dig  some  worms  and 
grubs  in  the  garden  and  feed  them  to  her  as  she  sat  on 
the  nest.  She  took  them  gratefully  and  with  alacrity. 
The  family  in  an  adjoining  house,  from  a  window 
about  fifteen  feet  away,  watched  and  enjoyed  the 
tanager  family.  When  I  took  the  train  home  that 


ii2  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

afternoon,  it  was  with  feelings  of  real  affection  for 
that  wonderful  bird  and  her  little  family. 

Subsequent  news  of  them  was  to  the  effect  that  ten 
days  later  four  little  tanagers  left  the  nest  success- 
fully, and  that  on  the  tenth  of  August  the  redoubtable 
tanager  had  another  nest  forty  feet  up  this  same 
oak  and  had  begun  to  incubate  three  more  eggs. 
This  is  a  remarkably  late  date  and  the  only  instance 
which  ever  came  to  my  knowledge  of  this  species  hav- 
ing two  broods  in  a  season. 

When  such  occurrences  may  be  at  any  time  the  re- 
ward of  the  bird-lover,  what  wonder  that  we  take 
delight  in  roaming  the  glorious  out-doors,  enjoying 
what  we  see  and  stimulated  by  the  expectancy  of  the 
ever-impending  fortunate  discovery ! 


THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT 

ALMOST  before  one  can  realize  it,  the  season 
of  nesting  has  slipped  away  from  us,  and  we 
are  confronted  with  the  conditions  of  autumn, 
when  we  may  again  greet  the  passing  procession  of 
migrants  and  must  say  goodbye  to  them  and  to  our 
summer  birds.     It  gives  a  sort  of  uncanny  feeling  to 
realize  that  the  birds  which,  seemingly,  only  a  few 
days  ago  were  singing  and  nesting,  have  now  reared 
their  young  and  silently  departed,  soon  to  be  hun- 
dreds or  thousands  of  miles  away. 

While  we  are  still  watching  the  late  broods  in  their 
nests,  the  autumnal  flight  has  set  in.  The  first  symp- 
tom of  this,  to  be  observed  mostly  along  the  sea-coast, 
is  the  appearance  of  bands  of  shore-bird  migrants 
even  in  July.  But  the  more  universal  sign  is  the 
flocking  of  various  land-birds.  Even  before  they 
migrate  they  gather  into  flocks.  As  we  traverse  the 
country  road  in  August,  we  note  the  straggling  bands 
of  various  sparrows  that  keep  flying  up  along  the 
roadsides.  They  are  mostly  chipping,  song,  field 
and  vesper  sparrows,  with  savanna  sparrows  where 
these  are  common,  and  now  and  then  some  others. 
Their  plumages  are  now  so  juvenile  or  worn  that  it  is 
115 


n6  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

hard  to  distinguish  the  nervous  little  dodgers.  No 
doubt  there  is  many  a  rarity  among  them  which  we 
let  go  unrecognized.  If  only  each  sparrow  species 
were  distinct  in  color,  we  should  find  many  a  good 
thing.  Even  as  it  is,  we  are  always  liable  to  see  some 
bird  of  special  interest  in  these  motley  companies. 
One  day,  as  I  drove  along  a  country  road,  a  flock  of 
chippies  flew  up  and  alighted  on  the  fence,  and  among 
them  was  a  pure  white  one,  a  complete  albino,  a  rare 
freak.  Two  weeks  later  I  was  driving  about  a  mile 
from  that  place,  when,  lo  and  behold,  there  was  my 
white  chippy  again! 

Even  more  noticeable  than  the  flocking  of  sparrows 
is  that  of  the  swallows  and  of  the  various  blackbirds. 
The  former  will  be  seen  in  long  rows  on  the  wires,  or 
flying  over  water,  swamps,  or  marshes.  The  various 
species  flock  together.  They  begin  to  gather  in  July, 
but  more  noticeably  in  August,  which  is  also  true  of 
the  blackbirds.  Crow  blackbirds  and  red-wings 
swarm  on  the  marshes  in  united  armies.  The  former 
by  themselves  gather  in  compact  flocks  in  towns  and 
perform  varied  evolutions  in  the  air,  dashing  over 
houses  with  a  roar  of  wings  like  thunder.  The  bob- 
olinks had  reared  their  young  by  early  July,  and  be- 
gan flocking  forthwith.  By  the  latter  part  of  July 
the  black  and  white  males  are  in  a  mottled  plumage, 
changing  to  the  yellowish-striped  garb  of  the  female 
and  young, — "  reed-birds,"  or  "  rice-birds,"  they  are 
now  called,  thoroughly  changed  in  character.  In 
some  sections  the  European  starling  has  entered  the 


THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT.         117 

field  as  a  symptom  of  autumn,  and  they  too  gather  in 
large  flocks,  sometimes  associated  with  the  other 
blackbirds.  The  meadowlarks  or  "marsh  quails," 
are  also  flocking  in  fields  and  marshes. 

In  August  also  begins  quite  a  movement  among 
the  warblers.  Few  of  them  raise  two  broods,  unless 
it  be  the  yellow-throat ;  they  are  prompt  in  beginning 
and  swift  to  finish.  Before  June  is  over,  most  of 
their  young  are  strong  on  wing.  Forthwith  they  be- 
gin to  ramble,  and  even  by  early  August  individuals 
of  several  species  have  begun  to  work  their  passage 
south.  The  blue-winged  and  golden-winged  are 
among  the  first  to  leave  or  to  appear  in  new  localities, 
likewise  the  Canadian  and  chestnut-sided  warblers. 
During  the  last  half  of  August  we  may  see  almost 
any  of  the  warblers,  though  they  seem  few  and  hard 
to  find.  But  with  September  their  numbers  greatly 
increase.  Some  days  one  can  see  hardly  any,  and 
again  they  are  abundant,  though  in  a  different  way 
from  their  appearance  in  spring. 

We  need  not  now  expect  them  in  the  orchard  and 
garden;  the  proper  place  is  the  woodland  and  swamp. 
Shrubbery  near  water  is  a  favorite  resort,  but  they 
also  straggle  through  the  woods,  duller  in  plumage 
than  in  the  spring,  and  the  young  of  many  of  them 
are  particularly  hard  to  distinguish.  Some  of  them 
are  gone  by  the  very  first  part  of  September,  but  most 
species  are  found  till  early  October,  and  a  number  till 
late  in  that  month.  Early  September  is  often  hot 
and  summer-like,  and  during  the  first  half,  under  such 


1 1 8.  HOWj  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

circumstances,  birds  will  seem  very  scarce.  But  let 
it  turn  cool,  and  the  migratory  wave  starts  along. 

The  abundance  of  migrants  at  any  date  varies 
greatly  from  year  to  year.  My  notes  record  that  one 
September  birds  were  scarce  up  to  the  middle,  and 
then  a  perfect  flood  of  migration  set  in.  On  the 
seventeenth  I  wrote  down  that  the  numbers  of  black- 
poll  warblers  in  the  woods  were  almost  beyond  be- 
lief, and  many  other  birds  were  found  in  profusion. 
But  a  year  later  at  the  same  date  birds  were  very 
scarce,  and  through  September  it  was  hard  to  find  a 
blackpoll.  Not  till  the  middle  of  October  did  I 
note  any  large  tide  of  these  birds. 

To  find  birds  in  the  autumn  we  must  depend  almost 
wholly  on  seeing  rather  than  hearing.  Sharp  eyes 
rather  than  ears  now  count.  The  songless  warblers 
hardly  seem  like  the  same  birds  that  in  spring  were 
constantly  breaking  forth  into  joy.  The  little  lisp  or 
chirp  which  they  emit  seldom  has  any  distinguishing 
quality.  It  simply  makes  us  aware  of  the  presence 
of  a  bird,  and  we  must  hunt  each  one  to  see  what  it  is. 
We  may  well  be  thankful  if  they  make  any  sound  at 
all. 

The  flocking  of  certain  other  birds  which  I  have  not 
mentioned  is  noticeable  in  September.  That  of  the 
nighthawks  then  reaches  its  climax.  Some  days  dur- 
ing the  earlier  part  of  the  month  they  keep  passing 
in  straggling  bands,  but  the  flight  began  in  August, 
and  by  the  middle  of  September  nearly  all  have  left 
us,  though  a  few  may  be  seen  later.  The  chimney 


THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT         119 

swifts  are  another  curious  clan.  They  will  suddenly 
arrive  in  a  great  loose  flock  in  the  same  locality  year 
after  year.  Flying  about  actively  till  after  sundown, 
they  suddenly  begin  to  pour  in  a  stream  down  a  cer- 
tain wide  chimney,  their  chosen  roost,  to  which  they 
resort  at  each  return.  Sometimes  they  continue  to 
pour  in  for  half  an  hour,  until  there  are  thousands 
inside  clinging  like  bats  to  the  bricks,  in  which  restful 
attitude  they  pass  the  night.  It  is  a  great  sight,  at 
its  best  resembling  the  revolving  funnel-cloud  of  a 
tornado.  But  there  are  people  —  and  we  cannot 
blame  them  —  who  dislike  the  dirt  and  noise  and 
put  a  wire  screen  over  the  chimney-top  to  keep  them 
out. 

Most  of  the  swallows  forsake  us  in  September,  the 
purple  martins  usually  leaving  first,  but  the  white- 
bellied  or  tree  swallows  remain  late.  They  are  often 
still  quite  common  about  the  middle  of  October,  and 
I  have  seen  them  up  to  the  very  last  of  the  month. 
Those  who  have  watched  a  flock  of  these  swallows 
drink  in  unison  have  seen  a  very  pretty  sight  in  bird- 
life.  A  large  flock  of  them  are  flitting  about  irreg- 
ularly over  a  large  body  of  water.  Suddenly,  as 
though  at  a  signal,  every  member  of  the  flock  darts 
for  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  all  dip  their  bills  at 
the  same  instant,  making  a  noise  like  the  first  dash  of 
the  rain  in  a  violent  squall.  Then  they  all  dart  up- 
wards and  turn,  their  wings  causing  a  roaring  sound 
as  of  the  wind  in  the  tree-tops. 

In  early  autumn  various  small  fruits  and  berries 


120  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

are  ripe,  such  as  black  cherries,  grapes,  poke-berries, 
etc.  Many  birds  gather  to  feed  upon  these,  notably 
robins  and  cedar-birds,  but  many  kinds  of  birds  will 
try  a  hand  at  them, —  flickers,  bluebirds,  various 
thrushes,  finches,  orioles,  and  others.  The  ruffed 
grouse  is  fond  of  such  things,  and  I  have  seen  them 
stay  to  eat  longer  than  was  prudent  at  the  approach 
of  the  hunter.  Sometimes  the  shrubbery  by  the  road- 
sides is  very  much  alive  with  these  various  lovers  of 
fruit,  and  it  is  a  pretty  sight. 

There  is  in  the  fields  a  distinctive  flavor  of  these 
late  summer  and  early  autumn  conditions  which  is 
especially  attractive.  It  is  the  time  of  ripening  fruits, 
of  harvesting  of  grain,  of  hayfields  swept  and  gar- 
nished. Bobolinks  and  blackbirds  flock  to  the  grain- 
fields  to  glean  as  well  as  to  pillage,  and  so  do  the 
pretty  mourning  doves.  I  enjoy  flushing  straggling 
flocks  of  the  latter  and  watching  them  go  kiting  off 
at  their  swift  and  even  pace.  The  meadowlarks  are 
there  too,  and  their  attractive  browns  and  yellows 
blend  charmingly  with  the  yellowing  of  grass  and 
grain.  The  host  of  the  various  finches  and  sparrows 
is  in  evidence.  Along  the  edge  of  the  fields  or  in  the 
scattered  trees  is  a  good  sort  of  a  place  to  find  various 
flycatchers. 

The  September  woodland  has  its  special  charm. 
While  the  general  aspect  is  like  summer,  the  sight  of 
occasional  bright  leaves  and  berries  and  a  peculiar 
cooling  and  fragrance  in  the  air  impart  a  delicious 
feeling, —  call  it  autumnal  anticipation.  The  mi- 


THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT         121 

grant  birds  encountered  strengthen  this  feeling. 
Among  those  that  seem  especially  characteristic  is  the 
yellow-bellied  woodpecker,  or  sapsucker.  It  is  a 
beautiful  bird,  and  somehow  I  seem  more  apt  to  meet 
it  in  autumn  than  in  the  spring.  This  last  is  notably 
true  of  the  Connecticut  warbler,  that  retiring  trav- 
eler, characteristic  of  the  cool,  moist  woodland,  which 
is  rare  in  spring,  but  in  September  at  times  becomes 
almost  common.  Somehow  I  love  to  hunt  them  out 
and  feel  that  I  am  witnessing  an  annual  event. 
What  delight  it  gives  to  strike  a  warbler  day  in  the 
woods  when  the  flight  is  well  on,  and  we  are  meeting, 
every  now  and  then,  the  mixed  parties  from  which  we 
try  to  pick  out  the  various  species.  Another  charac- 
teristic migrant  is  the  blue-headed  vireo,  noticeable 
from  the  distinct  white  ring  around  the  eye.  Then 
there  is  the  demure  and  shadowy  olive-backed  thrush 
back  amid  the  shrubbery,  and  the  other  thrushes  as 
well.  The  ruffed  grouse  whirs  off,  almost  invisible 
through  the  thick  leaves.  We  are  encountering  far 
more  hawks  than  could  have  been  seen  in  summer. 
Now  and  then  a  solitary  one,  of  almost  any  kind, 
may  glide  through  the  trees,  or  overhead  they  may 
be  straggling  past  in  scattering  flocks,  in  any  of  which 
various  species  may  be  represented.  Many  of  them 
are  the  young  birds,  and  this  is  the  time  of  year  to  see 
them  in  numbers. 

Rapidly  does  the  aspect  of  things  change  with  Oc- 
tober, the  period  when  Nature  is  in  gaudy  array,  of 
nuts,  of  frosty  mornings,  and  glorious  bracing  air. 


122  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

The  frosts  bring  flights  of  water-fowl  to  swamps  and 
waters,  and  of  woodcock  to  the  moist  cover.  In  the 
meadow  we  may  look  for  the  Wilson's  snipe  that 
darts  up,  no  easy  target  for  the  gunner,  and  the  last  of 
the  rails,  that  flutter  from  the  world  of  tangle,  all  too 
easy  a  mark.  Juncos  and  white-throated  sparrows 
flit  before  us  almost  anywhere.  The  lisp  of  the  king- 
lets and  brown  creeper  is  again  to  be  heard,  with  the 
quaint  gutturals  of  the  two  nuthatches,  of  which  the 
red-breasted  is  the  typical  one  which  we  are  glad  to 
see.  The  last  of  the  warbler  migration  is  passing,  the 
more  tender  kinds  having  gone  long  since. 

Among  our  hardier  delinquents  are  the  black- 
throated  green,  black-throated  blue,  blackpoll,  yellow 
palm,  and  myrtle  warblers,  the  latter  being  the  har- 
diest of  all,  the  only  one  which  may  dare  to  winter 
with  us.  The  winter  wren  is  back,  to  dodge  among 
the  brush-heaps  and  other  debris —  a  mouse  of  a  bird 
it  is.  This  is  the  time  for  the  rusty  grackle  to  flock 
again  along  the  meadows,  and  the  pipit  on  the  dry 
open  fields,  when  flocking  robins,  bluebirds,  various 
finches,  red-wings,  and  last  flocks  of  tree  swallows  are 
in  evidence.  One  by  one  the  last  of  the  remaining 
summer  birds  are  seen  and  the  winter  residents  appear, 
most  of  the  real  northerners  not  till  the  month  is  over. 

As  there  is  a  charm  to  October,  so  there  is  to  No- 
vember. The  birds  have  now  come  mostly  to  a  win- 
ter basis,  but  the  country  has  opened  its  portals  to  us. 
With  the  fall  of  the  leaves  we  can  see  long  distances 
through  the  woods,  and  watch  the  grouse  and  wood- 


THE  AUTUMNAL  FLIGHT         123 

cock  whir  off  through  the  bare  trees.  The  tempera- 
ture is  just  right  for  vigorous  exercise.  The  wonder- 
ful haze  of  "  Indian  Summer  "  is  in  the  air.  If  there 
are  steep  hills,  it  is  a  delight  to  explore  their  wooded 
recesses,  or  to  gain  the  summits  and  look  off  over  the 
panorama  of  loveliness.  The  snow  and  ice  have  not 
yet  come  to  make  the  walking  laborious,  and  it  is  a 
splendid  time  to  explore  and  find  new  bird-haunts  for 
the  coming  season*  Many  of  the  nests  once  so  suc- 
cessfully hidden  are  now  open  to  our  view,  and  we 
gain  ideas  as  to  where  to  look  for  certain  nests  when 
June  returns.  The  climbs  which  in  July  or  August 
would  nearly  have  melted  us  can  now  be  taken  with- 
out either  perspiration  or  chill,  and  with  exhilaration. 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS 


CHAPTER  X 

KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS 

UPON  the  approach  of  cold  weather  the  wood- 
chuck,  dreading  the  sting  of  frost,  shuts  him- 
self up  in  his  stuffy  burrow,  to  appear  no 
more  till  the  proverbial  day  when  he  is  supposed  to 
venture  out  to  look  for  a  sign  of  spring;  even  then, 
seeing  his  shadow,  he  may  retire  for  another  six  weeks 
of  poor  ventilation.  Curiously  enough  there  are 
many  people  like  the  woodchuck  in  this  regard,  who 
think  that  winter  is  no  time  to  be  outdoors.  Unless 
forced  to  an  occasional  exit,  they  are  "  shut-ins." 

At  best  they  but  venture  from  house  to  house  or  for 
a  short  walk  in  a  city  street.  The  long  "  exposure  " 
to  overheated  and  ill-ventilated  rooms  and  to  the  rav- 
ages of  the  sedentary  life  is  a  most  dangerous  ordeal, 
producing  weakness  and  inviting  the  attack  of  disease. 
Winter  is  a  glorious  time  for  active  exercise  outdoors, 
in  some  respects  even  better  than  summer,  and  if  an 
interest  in  the  birds  can  provide  an  incentive  to  draw 
people  to  the  wintry  landscape  and  set  them,  now 
and  then,  to  scouring  the  open,  it  will  be  sufficiently 
justified. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  scarcity  of 
birds  in  winter  in  nearly  all  localities,  save  in  the  far 
127 


128  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

South,  tends  to  discourage  many  from  the  quest.  Yet 
there  are  quite  a  number  of  species  which  winter  even 
in  the  northern  or  middle  districts,  hardy  creatures 
which  are  able  to  withstand  rigorous  conditions  of 
temperature,  storm,  and  scarcity  of  food.  A  won- 
derfully good  idea  of  what  birds  are  to  be  found  in 
different  parts  of  the  country  on  a  winter's  walk  can 
be  gathered  by  reading  in  the  January-February  num- 
ber of  Bird-Lore  each  year  the  reports  of  the  "  Christ- 
mas Bird-Census." 

The  number  of  species  seen  by  various  observers  in 
a  day  is  usually  from  about  six  to  eighteen,  sometimes 
more  —  usually  more  on  the  coast,  in  the  South  and 
on  the  Pacific  Slope.  At  times,  one  will  hardly  see  a 
living  thing,  but  if  one  has  acquired  an  interest  in 
birds,  their  very  scarcity  will  make  the  appearance  of 
the  few  all  the  more  welcome.  The  sight  even  of  a 
single  interesting  individual  under  these  conditions 
will  give  a  feeling  of  pleasure  more  vivid  than  might 
be  aroused  by  many  a  songster  in  May. 

The  birds  to  be  seen  on  a  genuine  winter  outing  are 
not  all  the  reward.  There  is  a  keen  joy  in  ranging 
the  leafless  woods  and  looking  through  vistas  that  are 
closed  in  the  leafy  season.  Climbing  steep  hills  is  a 
keen  delight,  when  the  cold  conduces  to  activity,  and 
one  is  able  to  maintain  a  glow  of  warmth  without  be- 
ing overheated.  One  can  examine  glittering  cascades 
of  ice,  see  the  forms  of  the  trees,  and  view  miles  and 
miles  of  country.  All  that  is  needed  is  an  incentive 
to  get  us  out,  and  the  birds  supply  it. 


Chickadee   at   lunch-counter.     Feed   the  winter   birds. 


1.129 


White-Breasted    Nuthatch,    attracted   by    suet. 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS      129 

Before  going  far  afield  we  shall  do  well  to  pay  at- 
tention to  the  birds  that  come  to  our  very  doors,  seek- 
ing food  in  the  time  of  scarcity.  The  good  custom 
of  putting  out  food  for  the  birds  has  now  become  very 
general.  The  insectivorous  kinds  enjoy  a  piece  of 
suet,  fastened  in  a  tree.  It  is  well  to  place  it  by  a 
window  where  it  can  be  watched  readily. 

In  a  mild  winter,  when  food  is  easy  to  get,  the  birds 
may  not  use  it  very  much,  but  let  there  come  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow  followed  by  bitter  cold,  and  they  will 
be  glad  to  accept  our  hospitality.  In  some  severe 
winters  I  have  had  birds  in  numbers  at  my  lunch 
counter  almost  constantly  every  day.  Perhaps  most 
numerous  will  be  the  little  black-capped  chickadee, 
with  his  breezy  manner  and  cheering  songs. 

Usually  a  very  regular  customer  is  the  little  black- 
and-white-spotted  downy  woodpecker.  The  hairy 
woodpecker,  which  looks  just  like  his  downy  cousin, 
but  is  quite  a  bit  larger,  sometimes  comes,  but  it  is  a 
shyer  bird  and  generally  less  plenty.  Another  fa- 
miliar friend  is  the  white-breasted  nuthatch,  an  ex- 
ceedingly vivacious  fellow,  blue-gray  above,  with 
black  or  blackish  crown,  and  white  beneath,  a  regular 
acrobat  who  climbs  like  a  woodpecker  and  is  as  apt  to 
run  headlong  down  a  tree  as  up  it.  The  saucy  blue 
jay  may  also  pay  his  respects. 

The  seed-eating  birds  do  not  care  for  the  suet,  so 
for  them  there  should  be  a  supply  of  seed  or  small  or 
crushed  grain  placed  out  near  house  or  barn  in  some 
warm,  sheltered  spot,  with  a  cover  above  it  to  keep 


i3o  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

it  from  being  buried  under  the  snow.  Unless  the 
hordes  of  English  sparrows  can  be  kept  away,  they 
will  monopolize  the  supply  and  drive  off  the  desired 
visitors.  The  shotgun  is  the  surest  remedy,  and  it 
may  be  said  in  the  sparrows'  favor  that  they  are 
usually  quick  to  take  such  a  hint. 

With  the  coast  thus  clear,  the  pretty  tree  sparrow  is 
likely  to  be  the  most  frequent  guest,  with  numbers 
of  juncos  at  times,  and  an  occasional  song  sparrow. 
Sometimes  on  farms  quail  will  feed  around  the  barn 
in  severe  weather,  but  this  is  too  good  to  be  more 
than  exceptional. 

Our  winter  land  birds  may  be  readily  thought  of  in 
three  classes.  First  we  may  mention  the  species 
which  are  found  at  all  times  of  the  year,  known  as 
"  residents."  In  a  few  cases,  as  with  the  ruffed 
grouse  and  the  quail,  the  same  individuals  are  found 
in  one  locality  the  year  round. 

With  most  of  them,  however,  those  found  during 
the  warmer  seasons  probably  migrate  southward,  to 
be  replaced  by  other  individuals  of  the  same  kind 
from  farther  north.  To  this  class  belong  the  chicka- 
dee, white-breasted  nuthatch,  song  sparrow,  blue  jay, 
and  downy  and  hairy  woodpeckers,  already  men- 
tioned. Some  others  are  the  crow,  meadowlark, 
goldfinch,  and  occasionally  the  flicker,  cedar  bird,  pur- 
ple finch,  red-winged  blackbird,  kingfisher,  bluebird, 
and  robin.  Many  of  the  birds  of  prey  also  belong  to 
this  category. 

[The  second  class  are  birds  nesting  a  little  north  of 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS     131 

us  and  ordinarily  migrating  past  us  to  the  South,  a  few 
of  which  may  linger  for  the  winter  in  the  Northern 
and  Middle  States.  Of  these  the  principal  examples 
are  the  myrtle  warbler,  junco,  winter  wren,  brown 
creeper,  white-throated  sparrow,  and  the  two  kinglets, 
especially  the  golden  crowned. 

To  the  third  class  belong  those  species  from  the  far 
North  that  ordinarily  come  to  us  only  as  winter  vis- 
itors. These  are  the  snowflake,  horned  lark,  Lapland 
longspur,  tree  sparrow,  northern  shrike,  pine  siskin, 
redpoll,  the  red  and  white-winged  crossbills,  and  the 
pine  grosbeak.  With  these  belong  some  northern 
birds  of  prey,  such  as  the  snowy  owl. 

It  is  well  to  bear  in  mind  that  various  species  of  our 
summer  birds  are  liable  to  constitute  themselves  mem- 
bers of  the  first  class  by  some  bold  or  careless  indi- 
vidual remaining  or  returning  in  actual  winter.  I 
have  seen  the  fox  sparrow  and  hermit  thrush  in  De- 
cember, and  even  such  southerly  birds  as  the  cardinal 
and  mockingbird  have  been  found  in  winter  as  far 
north  as  Massachusetts.  It  adds  interest  to  winter 
rambles  to  have  an  eye  out  for  these  unusual  occur- 
rences. 

A  number  of  these  species  in  winter  are  found  in 
flocks.  In  open  fields,  where  various  seeds  can  best 
be  found,  we  may  look  for  flocks  of  goldfinches,  sis- 
kins, redpolls,  snowflakes,  and  horned  larks.  The 
last  two  are  larger  birds  than  the  others  and  are 
more  terrestrial,  often  being  found  in  company,  and 
yet  easily  distinguished,  since  the  snowflakes  are  so 


132  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

white.  The  first  three  more  often  cling  to  weeds  to 
get  at  the  seeds  and  alight  on  trees. 

The  goldfinch  can  be  distinguished  from  the  other 
two  by  its  plain  breast  and  black  wings.  The  others 
have  striped  underparts,  but  the  redpoll  has  a  crimson 
patch  on  the  crown  and  the  adult  males  rosy-tinted 
breasts.  The  cedar  birds  and  purple  finches  also 
flock,  as  do  the  crossbills  and  the  pine  grosbeak,  and 
to  some  extent  the  tree  sparrows,  juncos,  and  meadow- 
larks,  in  straggling  parties. 

Some  of  the  more  northern  birds  are  very  irreg- 
ular in  their  appearances,  sometimes  not  coming  as 
far  south  as  Massachusetts  for  years  at  a  time.  This 
is  notably  true  of  the  pine  grosbeak,  the  two  crossbills, 
and  the  redpoll.  Their  coming  is  thought  to  depend 
more  upon  the  food  supply  than  on  the  weather. 
The  winters  when  they  appear  are  hailed  with  delight 
by  bird  lovers. 

When  we  see  in  the  evergreens  or  shade  trees  of 
the  garden  a  flock  of  gray  birds  about  the  size  of  a 
robin,  we  at  once  surmise  that  the  pine  grosbeak  has 
come.  They  feed  a  great  deal  on  buds,  ash  and  ma- 
ple seeds,  and  frozen  fruit.  The  crossbills  live 
largely  on  the  seeds  which  they  extract  from  the  vari- 
ous evergreen  cones  —  spruce,  pine,  and  hemlock. 
Their  mellow  call  notes  uttered  as  they  fly  from  tree 
to  tree  thrill  us  with  delight. 

Another  thrill  comes  when  one  approaches  a  flock 
of  small  birds  feeding  on  weed  stems  projecting  above 
the  snow,  thinking  that  they  are  goldfinches,  and  sees 


Entire  Kingbird  family  at  nest,  on  fencepost  by  railroad. 


Flock  of  Pine  Grosbeaks  near  house,  feeding  on  ash  seeds. 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS      133 

a  crimson  patch  shining  on  each  head  —  redpolls, 
from  the  very  far  north.  But  the  flock,  if  not  of  the 
goldfinch,  are  more  apt  to  prove  to  be  the  pine  siskin, 
which  is  ordinarily  more  common  than  the  redpoll,  a 
heavily  streaked  little  bird,  with  no  color  patch,  and 
about  the  same  size.  Goldfinches,  siskins,  and  red- 
polls all  resort  to  trees  as  well  as  to  open  ground,  es- 
pecially along  the  edge  of  woods  or  in  second  growth, 
where  buds,  particularly  those  of  birches,  are  a  great 
attraction. 

These  wandering  flocks  of  the  various  hardy 
northern  birds  will  bear  careful  watching,  not  only  on 
account  of  their  own  peculiar  charm,  but  because  with 
them  are  sometimes  found  even  rarer  strangers.  Any 
flock  of  redpolls  is  liable  to  include  a  specimen  of  the 
hoary  redpoll,  a  much  paler  bird,  which  seldom  comes 
as  far  south  as  the  United  States.  The  flock  of  com- 
mon cedar  birds  sometimes  has  in  it  one  or  more  of 
the  rare  bohemian  waxwing,  which  resembles  the  ce- 
dar bird,  but  is  somewhat  larger  and  has  white  wing 
bars  and  a  black  throat. 

Snowflakes  and  horned  larks  often  flock  together, 
and  with  them  one  should  always  look  for  specimens 
of  the  Lapland  longspur,  a  bird  of  about  the  same 
size  and  sparrowlike  in  appearance,  with  more  or  less 
black  on  throat  and  breast  and  buff  color  on  the  sides 
of  head  and  neck.  Another  not  common  bird  which 
may  accompany  them  or  be  found  in  their  haunts, 
especially  among  the  sand  dunes  and  beach  grass  along 
the  coast,  is  the  Ipswich  sparrow.  It  can  readily  be 


i34  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

distinguished  from  all  other  sparrows  by  its  very  pale, 
bleached-out  color. 

When  a  supposed  flock  of  pine  grosbeaks  is  sighted, 
one  may  entertain  the  hope  that  they  will  prove  to  be 
the  still  rarer  evening  grosbeak.  Once  in  a  great 
while  there  will  be  a  winter  when  this  species  comes  in 
numbers  across  the  Canadian  border.  It  is  a  beau- 
tiful black-and-yellow  or  orange  bird  that  one  would 
not  fail  to  recognize. 

The  parrotlike  crossbills  are  about  the  only  ones  of 
our  winter-flocking  birds  among  which  we  do  not  hope 
to  find  greater  rarities;  they  are  of  sufficient  interest 
in  themselves  as  they  climb  about  among  the  cones, 
using  bills  and  feet  like  parrots. 

If  a  flock  of  "  blackbirds  "  is  seen  in  winter,  it  may 
prove  to  be  one  of  European  starlings.  At  present 
they  are  mostly  found  from  southern  Connecticut  to 
New  Jersey,  but  they  are  gradually  and  surely  extend- 
ing their  range.  It  is  characteristic  to  see  a  large 
bunch  of  them  clustered  in  the  elms  over  a  street  and 
to  hear  a  chorus  of  high-pitched,  rather  faint  whistles. 
They  also  descend  to  feed  in  the  streets  and  gardens, 
but  are  shyer  than  their  imported  predecessors,  the 
house  or  "  English  "  sparrow.  Those  who  meet  a 
"  blackbird  with  a  yellow  bill "  have  found  the  star- 
ling. 

One  boreal  fellow  who,  though  he  does  not  flock, 
deserves  more  than  bare  mention  is  the  northern 
shrike.  If  one  should  see  a  solitary  gray  bird  with 
blackish  wings,  and  tail,  nearly  as  large  as  a  robin, 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS      135 

perching  on  the  topmost  twig  of  some  tree  in  open 
ground,  this  is  the  shrike  or  "  butcher  bird,"  waiting 
for  the  chance  to  pounce  upon  some  sparrow  or 
mouse.  He  is  useful  when  he  thus  thins  out  the  mice 
and  English  sparrows,  but  unfortunately  he  is  just 
as  liable  to  attack  our  chickadees,  tree  sparrows,  and 
the  rest. 

If  we  live  from  the  latitude  of  Maine  northward 
we  may  add  to  our  winter  list  the  Canada  jay,  spruce 
partridge,  and  three  woodpeckers  —  the  arctic  and 
the  American  three-toed,  and  the  pileated.  The 
latter  is  a  big  black  fellow  with  a  red-tipped  crest, 
about  the  size  of  the  crow,  and  is  not  only  a  North- 
erner but  may  be  seen  in.  wild  wooded  regions  as  far 
down  as  Florida. 

Occasional  hawks  and  owls  make  an  interesting 
variation  in  the  regular  winter  "  bill  of  fare."  A 
few  individuals  of  various  species  stay  in  one  place 
the  year  round,  but  most  species  either  migrate  or 
wander  to  some  extent.  Almost  as  steadfast  as  any 
are  the  great  horned  owl  and  the  red-tailed  hawk. 
Now  and  then  we  see  one  of  these  big  hawks  perched 
on  some  conspicuous  tree  in  a  field  or  along  a  road. 
It  may,  though,  prove  to  be  the  red-shouldered  hawk, 
a  bird  with  a  darker  breast  and  nearly  as  large,  or,  by 
good  luck,  the  American  rough-legged  hawk  or  the 
goshawk,  both  rather  scarce  winter  visitors  from  the 
North. 

Sometimes  these  are  quite  common  in  winters  when 
there  is  an  influx  of  such  birds  as  crossbills  and  red- 


136  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

polls,  which  they  follow  to  feed  upon.  Occa- 
sionally one  will  meet  the  Cooper's  sharp- 
shinned,  and  sparrow  hawks.  The  greathorned 
owl  is  most  often  started  in  deep  woods,  as 
are  the  barred  and  long-eared  owls,  medium-sized 
species,  and  the  tiny  saw-whet  or  Acadian  owl.  The 
latter  and  also  the  little  screech  owl  sometimes  take 
refuge  from  the  cold  in  buildings. 

Out  on  the  open  field  or  marsh  one  may  run  across 
the  short-eared  or  marsh  owl,  or  even  the  splendid 
white  arctic  snowy  owl.  In  Canada  one  may  also 
find  the  great  gray,  the  Richardson's,  and  the  hawk 
owls,  and  from  the  Middle  States  south  the  odd,  mon- 
key-faced barn  owl  and  the  turkey  and  black  vultures, 
or  buzzards.  The  bald  eagle  may  appear  almost 
anywhere,  and  more  rarely  the  golden  eagle. 

Inland  the  water  birds  are  usually  scarce  because 
the  waters  are  mostly  frozen.  Still,  the  "  black  "  or 
dusky  duck  often  manages  to  find  a  living  in  the 
swamps,  and  the  goosander  or  large  "  shell  drake  " 
on  rivers  through  openings  in  the  ice.  But  on  the 
coast  there  is  quite  a  profusion  of  life.  Various  gulls 
winnow  over  the  waters,  the  great  majority  of  which 
are  herring  gulls,  with  a  few  of  the  great  black-backed 
and  ring-billed  species,  and  rare  boreal  kinds  as 
stragglers.  Well  off  at  sea  the  kittiwake  may  be 
found  in  numbers.  Loons  and  grebes  are  swimming 
and  diving.  A  number  of  species  of  marine  ducks 
in  flocks  are  careering  about  in  striking  formations, 


KNOWING  THE  WINTER  BIRDS      i37j 

or  else  are  on  the  water  in  "  rafts  "  feeding  or  rest- 
ing. 

Especially  from  Chesapeake  Bay  southward  there 
are  hordes  of  the  various  wild  fowl,  and  some  shore 
birds,  such  as  plovers,  sandpipers,  and  snipes,  while 
northward  from  Massachusetts  we  may  find  on  the 
cold  wind-swept  ocean  such  hardy  birds  as  the  razor- 
billed  auk,  the  murre  and  Briinnich's  murre,  black 
guillemot,  puffin,  gannet,  the  eider  and  harlequin 
ducks,  the  cormorant  and  double-crested  cormorant. 
Sometimes  off  Cape  Cod  during  the  Christmas  holi- 
days I  have  had  a  veritable  feast  for  eye  and  soul  in 
the  abundance  of  these  lonely  wild  birds,  so  shy  and 
innocent  of  civilization. 

Southward,  say  from  Washington,  the  typical  land 
birds,  in  addition  to  some  already  mentioned,  are 
such  species  as  the  cardinal,  mockingbird,  red-headed 
and  red-bellied  woodpeckers,  loggerhead  shrike,  Car- 
olina wren,  tufted  titmouse,  and  brown-headed  nut- 
hatch. A  considerable  number  of  our  hardier  North- 
ern summer  birds  are  also  found.  The  frosts  are 
only  occasional  and  moderate,  and  the  air  is  delight- 
ful —  with  all  due  respect  to  the  biting,  exhilarating 
northwest  zephyrs  of  the  snow-bound  regions  beyond. 

When  we  get  as  far  south  as  Florida,  it  seems  like 
mockery  to  talk  of  winter.  To  be  sure  many  of  the 
birds  have  crossed  the  sea  to  Central  and  South 
America,  yet  there  are  many  left.  The  little  ground 
doves  are  so  quaint,  the  jays,  including  now  the 


I38  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

Florida  jay,  so  abundant  and  saucy,  and  the  shore 
birds,  herons,  ibis,  and  many  water  fowl  so  interest- 
ing —  save  as  thoughtless  tourists  have  exterminated 
them  along  the  well-traveled  routes,  a  crying  abom- 
ination 1 

It  is  delightful  to  escape  a  month  or  so  of  the  in- 
tense cold  and  wander  through  the  orange  groves,  the 
pineries,  the  swamps,  or  by  the  tepid  ocean,  among 
the  birds.  Yet  last  March,  after  a  month  in  the  tem- 
perature of  the  eighties,  when  I  returned  home  and 
filled  my  lungs  with  deep  drafts  of  the  delicious  keen 
air  which  had  been  kept  on  ice  for  me,  it  did  seem 
that  never  in  my  life  had  I  so  appreciated  a  bluster- 
ing New  England  March. 


HOW  TO  FIND  THE  BIRDS  OF  PREY 


CHAPTER  XI 

HOW  TO  FIND  THE  BIRDS  OF  PREY 

IT  would  be  quite  safe  to  assert  that  hardly  more 
than  one  bird-lover  in  a  hundred  —  or  maybe  in 
a  thousand  —  knows  much  from  personal  ex- 
perience about  the  "  raptores,"  or  birds  of  prey, — 
the  hawks,  eagles,  owls,  and  vultures.  Most  of  them 
are  shy  and  retiring,  resorting  to  the  wildest  and  most 
inaccessible  places  in  the  general  region  where  they 
live.  The  owls  are  nocturnal  and  generally  hide  away 
by  day,  so  that,  as  a  class,  they  are  very  hard  to  find. 
Owing  to  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  knowing  them, 
they  have  a  sort  of  social  exclusiveness,  receiving  only 
the  insistent  to  terms  of  intimacy.  The  test  of  fitness 
for  their  society,  however,  is  not  one  of  descent  or 
property,  but  of  activity  and  enthusiasm.  Knowl- 
edge of  the  hawks  and  owls  is  a  pretty  good  indorse- 
ment of  advanced  standing  in  practical  ornithology. 
The  pursuit  of  them  is  so  fascinating  and  success  in 
it  so  exciting  and  gratifying  that  I  especially  com- 
mend them  to  the  vigorous  and  active  youth,  and  so 
am  devoting  a  separate  chapter  to  tell  more  in  detail 
how  to  find  and  know  them. 

It  is  a  common  sight  to  see  hawks  soaring  high  up 
in  the  air  or  flying  rapidly  across  the  open  country 
141 


i42  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

toward  the  woods,  but  usually  so  far  away  that  it 
seems  hopeless  to  the  beginners  to  distinguish  them. 
Yet  most  of  them  can  be  recognized  in  an  instant, 
even  at  quite  long  range,  especially  with  the  aid  of 
the  field-glass.  In  Eastern  districts  there  are  two 
large  kinds  commonly  called  "  hen-hawks," —  the  red- 
tailed  and  red-shouldered  hawks.  The  former  is  a 
little  more  heavily  built  and  has  whitish  underparts 
with  a  few  darker  markings  on  the  breast;  in  the 
adult  phase  the  upper  side  of  the  tail  is  of  a  uniform 
chestnut-red  color,  which  can  be  detected  as  the  bird 
wheels  in  the  air  and  the  sunlight  strikes  it.  The 
red-shoulder,  besides  having  a  slight  rufous  color  on 
the  "  shoulder  "  of  the  wing,  has  the  under-parts  of 
a  much  darker  hue  than  the  red-tail,  brownish  and 
heavily  marked,  and  the  tail  banded  with  alternate 
black  and  white.  The  immature  red-tail  has  a 
banded  tail,  but  with  fewer  bands,  and  its  light  under- 
parts are  characteristic.  Both  these  species  soar  and 
circle  a  good  deal  in  flight,  and  are  also  seen  perching 
motionless  on  isolated  trees,  especially  the  red-tail. 

Another  hawk  with  almost  equal  spread  of  wings 
but  of  more  slender  build  is  the  marsh  hawk,  distin- 
guished by  the  conspicuous  white  spot  on  the  rump. 
This  variety  generally  flies  rather  low,  quartering 
over  swampy  land.  In  winter  another  large  hawk 
with  white  on  the  rump  is  occasionally  seen  about 
open  land,  the  American  rough-legged  hawk,  a  slug- 
gish bird,  as  large  as  the  red-tail,  feathered  to  the 
toes.  The  osprey,  or  fish  hawk,  has  white  under- 


BIRDS  OF  PREY  143 

parts  and  long  narrow  wings  which  generally  are  held 
with  a  sharp  bend. 

Of  the  medium-sized  or  smaller  hawks  there  are 
two  that  are  especially  common,  and  quite  similar, — 
the  Cooper's  and  the  sharp-shinned  hawks.  They 
are  closely  related,  and  are  characterized  by  the  long 
tail,  short  wings,  and  a  flight  by  quick  flappings,  with 
very  short  intervals  of  sailing.  They  can  readily  be 
distinguished  by  size ;  the  sharp-shin  is  notably  smal- 
ler, not  much  bigger  than  a  robin. 

Taking  these  common  hawks  as  a  basis,  learn  to 
distinguish  them  from  certain  others.  One  species 
about  the  size  of  Cooper's  is  the  broad-winged  hawk. 
In  coloration  these  two  are  a  good  deal  alike,  but  the 
broad-wing  is  a  sort  of  miniature  red-shoulder  in 
form  and  movement.  It  has  a  short  banded  tail, 
slower  wing-beats,  and  soars  and  circles  like  its  larger 
relative.  The  duck  hawk  is  about  this  size,  a  very 
dark  bird  with  sharp  wings  and  quick,  incisive  flight, 
but  is  so  rare  that  most  students  will  never  see  it. 
The  goshawk  is  built  like  the  Cooper's,  but  is  notice- 
ably larger,  the  adult  having  beautifully  pencilled 
gray  wider-parts. 

Then  there  are  smaller  hawks  to  distinguish  from 
the  sharp-shin.  The  pigeon  hawk  or  falcon  is  a 
spring  and  fall  migrant  to  and  from  Canada,  a  dark- 
colored  bird,  a  sort  of  miniature  duck  hawk  in  general 
appearance.  The  other  little  fellow  is  the  sparrow 
hawk,  distinguished  by  its  reddish  back,  a  frequenter 
of  open  farm-lands. 


i44  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

Westward  one  finds  the  Swainson's  hawk,  a  big 
bird,  like  the  red-tail  except  that  the  tail  has  no  red 
and  is  banded,  and  also  the  large  ferruginous  rough- 
leg,  distinguished  by  its  white  tail.  In  the  South 
there  are  several  interesting  species  called  kites. 
These  are  the  principal  hawks  that  the  beginner  is 
liable  to  meet. 

Eagles  are  also  hawks,  strictly  speaking.  The 
golden  eagle  is  so  rare  that  the  bald  eagle,  the  bird 
of  our  national  emblem,  is  the  only  species  which  one 
can  expect  to  meet.  The  immature  eagles  are  a  dark 
brown,  almost  blackish,  all  over,  the  white  head  and 
tail  not  being  acquired  at  first.  The  eagle  is  so  much 
larger  than  any  hawk  that  no  one  could  fail  to  recog- 
nize it,  unless  in  the  distance  they  should  confound 
the  immature  eagle  and  the  buzzards  or  vultures, 
which,  of  course,  have  the  bare  skinny  head  and  neck. 
Their  soaring,  though,  is  quite  after  the  manner  of 
the  eagle.  In  the  Middle  States,  and  now  and  then 
in  southern  New  England,  the  turkey  buzzard  is 
found,  and  farther  south  the  other  species,  the  black 
buzzard,  a  more  heavily-built  bird  with  a  rather  in- 
distinct whitish  patch  on  the  wing. 

The  principal  large  owl  is  the  great  horned  owl, 
with  large  ear-tufts  and  yellow  iris.  Another  species, 
a  trifle  smaller,  is  the  barred  owl,  which  lacks  ear- 
tufts  and  has  black  eyes.  Even  when  not  seen  they 
can  be  distinguished  by  their  hootings;  the  former 
usually  has  three  notes  in  its  "  song,"  while  the  barred 
owl  launches  out  in  a  more  elaborate  effort.  In  win- 


BIRDS  OF  PREY  145 

ter  the  white  snowy  owl  from  the  Arctic  sometimes 
makes  us  a  visit,  more  often  along  the  coast,  and  for- 
tunate is  the  student  who  meets  with  it.  In  all  my 
travels  I  have  run  across  but  one. 

Of  medium-sized  owls  there  are  two  which  we  may 
encounter  almost  anywhere  in  Northern  and  Middle 
districts, —  the  long-eared  and  short-eared  owls. 
The  former  has  ear-tufts  and  is  a  bird  of  dense  woods 
and  swamps;  the  latter  is  a  frequenter  of  open 
meadow,  marsh,  or  sea-shore,  and  practically  lacks 
ear-tufts.  The  barn  owl,  with  the  "  monkey-face  " 
and  white  breast,  is  found  in  Middle  and  Southern 
latitudes,  hiding  by  day  in  old  buildings  or  hollow 
trees. 

The  common  little  owl  is  the  screech  owl,  with  ear- 
tufts,  found  frequently  about  houses  and  orchards. 
There  is  also  the  saw-whet  owl,  very  tiny,  with  no 
ear-tufts,  a  bird  of  the  deep  woods  and  rather  rare. 
Well  to  the  north  are  found  the  great  gray,  the  Rich- 
ardson's and  the  hawk  owls,  and  on  the  prairies  of 
the  West  and  of  interior  Florida  the  quaint  burrow- 
ing owl. 

By  far  the  best  way  to  really  know  these  birds  is 
to  find  their  nests  and  thus  be  able  to  study  their 
home-life.  They  are  nearly  all  early  breeders.  The 
great  horned  owl  is  first,  beginning  in  Middle  and 
Northern  districts  by  the  first  of  March.  The  barred 
owl  usually  follows  suit  about  the  first  of  April,  often 
by  March  twentieth.  Very  early  April  is  the  time 
for  the  red-tailed  hawk,  soon  followed  by  the  red- 


i46  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

shouldered  hawk  and  the  long-eared,  screech,  and 
saw-whet  owls.  About  May  tenth  is  the  time  for 
Cooper's,  marsh,  broad-winged,  fish,  and  sparrow 
hawks,  and  a  week  or  two  later  the  sharp-shin  brings 
up  the  rear. 

Most  of  the  hawks  nest  in  tall  trees  in  the  woods, 
building  a  rather  rude  platform  of  sticks  in  a  main 
crotch,  or  taking  and  repairing  some  old  nest  of  crow, 
squirrel,  or  another  hawk.  The  exceptions  are  the 
sparrow  hawk,  which  lays  in  a  hollow  tree  on  or  bor- 
dering open  land,  and  the  marsh  hawk  which  builds 
a  rude  nest  on  the  ground  in  a  swamp.  Most  of  the 
owls  use  hollow  trees  or  other  cavities,  but  the  great 
horned  and  barred  owls  are  just  as  apt  to  appreciate 
an  old  open  nest  of  hawk,  squirrel,  or  crow,  though 
they  often  use  hollows.  The  long-eared  owl  habit- 
ually uses  an  open  nest  in  the  woods,  and  the  short- 
eared  nests  on  the  ground  in  a  swampy  place,  among 
grass  and  weeds,  or  under  a  bush. 

The  special  hunt  for  the  nests  of  hawks  and  owls  is 
a  fascinating  piece  of  work.  In  preparation  for  it, 
a  good  plan  is  to  previously  explore  the  woodland 
tracts  throughout  the  section  of  country  to  be  in- 
vestigated, during  the  preceding  autumn  and  winter. 
The  nests  are  large  and  conspicuous,  and  are  fre- 
quently used  again  and  again,  either  by  the  same  bird 
each  year,  or  by  different  pairs  of  raptorial  birds,  or 
else  a  pair  occupies  each  of  several  nests  in  rotation 
year  by  year.  If  an  old  nest  is  not  reoccupied,  an- 
other may  be  built  near  it.  Most  of  the  species  are 


BIRDS  OF  PREY  147 

inclined  each  season  to  return  to  the  same  tract  of 
woods.  Sometimes  they  alternate  between  different 
adjoining  tracts  of  timber,  but  where  they  have  nested 
once  they  are  apt  to  do  so  again,  certainly  within  sev- 
eral years.  Moreover  the  woods  which  suit  one  pair 
are  apt  to  be  congenial  to  others  for  the  same  reason, 
so  each  selected  tract  is  liable  to  continue  productive, 
if  the  birds  are  not  killed  off. 

It  is  well  to  inquire  of  residents  as  to  where  hawks 
or  owls  have  been  seen  or  heard,  as  well  as  to  direct 
one's  own  eyes  and  ears  toward  the  same  end.  Where 
they  are  repeatedly  heard  or  seen,  there  they  will 
probably  nest,  or  are  so  doing.  Sometimes  from 
open  fields,  with  my  glass,  I  have  watched  the 
wooded  ranges  of  the  adjacent  hills  and  seen  hawks 
fly  right  to  their  nests.  All  nests,  even  of  the  late- 
breeding  sharp-shin,  are  built  before  the  leaves  are 
out,  which  is,  of  course,  the  time  to  find  them.  There 
is  all  the  difference  in  the  world  between  leafless 
woodland  with  its  open  vistas,  and  the  same  when  it 
is  dense  and  dark  with  foliage,  so  get  at  the  work 
early. 

The  main  prerequisite  of  success,  then,  is  to  know 
the  country  thoroughly,  where  every  bit  of  large 
timber  is,  even  small  patches  of  it,  and  on  the  final 
hunt  to  go  through  it  systematically.  One  can  do 
better,  ordinarily,  in  a  region  where  there  are  few 
or  no  large  continuous  areas  of  forest,  but  where  the 
old,  tall  timber  is  in  scattered  groves.  This  restricts 
the  area  over  which  the  nests  might  be  scattered. 


i48  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

Time  can  be  saved  by  driving  or  riding  from  one 
such  tract  to  another,  thus  covering  many  miles  in  a 
day. 

In  good  woods  there  will  be  seen  many  old  nests, 
any  one  of  which  is  liable  to  be  occupied.  Most  of 
them  are  up  tall  trees,  and  it  will  not  pay  to  try  to 
climb  to  each  one.  When  a  nest  is  seen,  watch  it 
carefully  on  approaching,  to  see  if  a  bird  should  fly 
from  it,  as  they  sometimes  do  at  first  sight  of  the  in- 
truder. Individuals,  even  of  the  same  species,  vary 
much  in  this  regard.  Some  will  leave  when  one  is 
a  gunshot  off;  others  can  hardly  be  driven  off  by 
pounding  the  base  of  the  tree.  Some  return  to  scold, 
while  others  never  show  themselves  again.  So  hunt 
quietly.  If  no  bird  flies  off,  pound  the  tree  with  a 
club,  and  watch  not  only  this  nest,  but  any  others 
near. 

Some  birds  go  at  the  first  blow,  others,  especially 
in  cold  or  wet  weather,  refuse  to  budge.  The  long- 
eared  owl  is  apt  to  do  this,  which  makes  this  nest  a 
hard  one  to  find.  One  great  horned  owl  whose  nest 
I  found  would  not  leave,  early  in  the  season,  for  any 
amount  of  pounding.  When  the  young  grow  large, 
most  raptorial  birds  tend  to  become  much  shyer, 
though  some  are  bold  enough  to  swoop  at  an  intruder, 
though  they  rarely  strike.  But  another  horned  owl, 
even  in  early  March,  would  leave  the  nest  before  I 
came  within  gunshot.  There  is  no  uniform  rule,  and 
it  is  always  interesting  to  see  just  how  the  birds  will 
act. 


BIRDS  OF  PREY  149 

In  case  the  bird  should  happen  to  be  temporarily 
absent  from  an  occupied  nest,  as  is  often  the  case, 
especially  before  incubation  has  begun,  one  should 
know  how  to  examine  the  nest  itself  for  signs.  One 
of  the  best  signs  is  when  downy  feathers  cling  to  the 
nest.  If  these  are  light-colored  because  freshly 
broken,  one  can  see  that  something  is  doing.  The 
sticks  of  a  new  nest  stand  up  crisp  and  strong,  whereas 
in  an  old  one  they  are  apt  to  be  rotted  down  and  sod- 
den together.  Birds  of  prey  do  not  use  dead  leaves 
in  building,  as  do  squirrels,  yet  some  will  build  a  plat- 
form of  sticks  on  top  of  an  old  squirrel's  nest,  so  one 
must  look  sharp  in  every  case  for  possible  signs. 

It  is  very  desirable  to  use  the  field-glass  to  see  these 
details  clearly,  which  are  not  easy  to  detect  unaided 
in  a  lofty  tree,  especially  a  thick  evergreen.  The 
sharp-shin  prefers  an  evergreen,  but  the  other  species 
will  use  a  deciduous  tree  just  about  as  readily,  though 
preference  differs  in  different  localities. 

The  finding  of  the  nests  of  hawks  and  owls  gives 
the  very  best  sort  of  an  opportunity  to  study  them, 
and  particularly  to  secure  photographs.  One  can  also 
learn  a  great  deal  about  the  habits  of  these  wary, 
secretive  birds,  few  of  which  are  known  adequately 
and  intimately.  To  illustrate,  let  me  tell  a  story. 
I  pitched  my  umbrella-tent  a  little  way  from  a  tree 
in  a  hemlock  wood,  on  which,  thirty-five  feet  from 
the  ground,  was  the  nest  of  a  sharp-shinned  hawk. 
Only  one  of  the  eggs  had  hatched,  and  the  youngster, 
nearly  ready  to  fly,  was  hungry  enough  for  a  whole 


150  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

family.  I  had  a  camera  rigged  up  near  the  nest,  and 
was  in  hiding  for  hours,  on  several  occasions. 

Now  and  then  one  of  the  old  birds  would  bring 
a  small  bird  to  the  youngster,  all  plucked,  which  he 
would  tear  up  and  gulp  down  in  short  order.  At  one 
time  a  family  party  of  red-eyed  vireos  were  feeding  in 
the  foliage  close  around  the  tent,  calling  to  each  other 
rather  noisily.  Suddenly  I  heard  a  violent  rush  of 
air,  and  the  sharp-shin,  almost  striking  the  tent, 
seized  a  vireo,  and  perched  with  it  close  by.  I  could 
hear  the  dying  wails  of  the  poor  victim,  as  the  hawk 
began  to  pluck  it.  This  process  took  some  five  min- 
utes, during  which  time  the  young  hawk  was  nearly 
frantic,  jumping  about  the  nest,  stretching  its  neck, 
whining  and  begging.  Then  the  old  one  flew  up  on 
the  nest,  delivered  the  morsel,  and  stood  upright  and 
still,  watching  her  young  hopeful  struggling  to  rend 
the  quarry.  At  this  juncture  I  pulled  the  thread  con* 
necting  with  the  camera  and  secured  a  picture. 

Acquaintance  with  the  raptorial  birds  in  nesting- 
time  will  give  a  basis  for  recognizing  them  when  they 
are  met  at  other  times  of  the  year.  In  autumn  a 
great  many  of  them  are  passing  south,  even  at  times 
in  flocks,  straggling  along  in  open  country,  following 
water-courses  or  ranges  of  hills.  When  we  are 
quietly  prowling  about  in  the  woods,  a  hawk  may 
suddenly  dash  in  near  by  and  give  a  chance  to  exam- 
ine it  before  we  are  detected  and  the  bird  has  flown. 
We  may  watch  them  as  they  circle  in  the  air,  or 
descend  upon  their  prey. 


Young  Rod-Tailed  Hawk,  with  full  crop  after  big  meal! 


Sharp-Shinned  Hawk.     Just  delivered  food  to  young  one. 

— pp. 


BIRDS  OF  PREY  151 

The  poultry-yard  affords  some  episodes  in  hawk  or 
owl  story,  but  it  is  unfair  to  attribute  depredations 
to  all  kinds  of  hawks.  The  Cooper's  and  sharp- 
shinned  hawks  and  the  great  horned  owl  are  the  worst 
transgressors,  also  the  rare  goshawk  when  it  is  with 
us.  The  so-called  hen-hawks  only  occasionally  at- 
tack poultry,  generally  in  winter  when  other  food  is 
scarce. 

Most  of  the  hawks  migrate  south  for  the  winter, 
though  a  few  individuals  of  all  kinds  sometimes  re- 
main to  brave  the  cold.  The  red-tail  is  usually  the 
commonest  resident  hawk  in  winter.  The  owls  are 
somewhat  more  stationary,  though  they  migrate  to 
some  extent,  as  is  shown  by  the  appearance  of  the 
snowy  and  other  boreal  owls. 

This  class  of  birds  may  be  hard  to  find  and  know, 
yet  there  is  for  this  very  reason  a  romantic  interest 
attaching  to  them.  To  know  them  well  is  a  mark  of 
a  keen,  active,  successful  practical  ornithologist. 
Who  then  will  go  out  in  the  forest  and  the  cold  and 
master  the  hawks  and  owls?. 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS 


CHAPTER  XII 
FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS 

MOST,  bird-lovers  feel  a  distinct  sense  of 
achievement,  a  peculiar  satisfaction,  in  ex- 
periences with  the  water-birds.  They 
represent  a  much  larger  and  more  varied  group  than 
the  raptores,  and  like  them  are  mostly  inaccessible 
and  hard  to  find.  Owing  to  their  size  or  edible  qual- 
ities most  of  them  have  greatly  diminished  in  num- 
bers through  shooting.  Quite  a  number  are  found 
only  out  at  sea,  either  in  winter,  or  passing  in  migra- 
tion far  off  the  coast.  The  majority  of  them  breed 
in  northern  latitudes.  The  nature  of  their  haunts 
makes  it  difficult  for  most  people  to  study  them. 
However,  all  these  things  attach  to  them  an  interest 
of  sentiment  and  mystery,  which,  when  felt,  makes 
one  all  the  more  determined  to  know  them.  For  my- 
self, the  fever  attacked  me  in  its  most  malignant  (or 
beneficent)  form.  Since  I  could  not  find  all  these 
types  of  water-fowl  at  home,  I  had  to  go  where  they 
were,  until  now,  after  chasing  them  from  Newfound- 
land to  Florida  and  Louisiana,  and  from  Virginia  to 
Saskatchewan,  I  feel  that  I  can  rightly  number  most 
of  them  among  my  intimate  friends. 

To  mention  first  the  seasons  in  which  to  look  for 
155 


156  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

them,  there  are  comparatively  few  which  spend  the 
summer  and  breed  in  middle  latitudes.  The  only 
group  which  is  well  represented  is  the  herons,  and  all 
of  those  which  occur  at  all  are  summer  residents. 
We  have  regularly  the  green,  black-crowned  night, 
and  great  blue  herons,  also  the  American  and  least 
bitterns.  Look  for  the  bitterns  in  reedy  bogs,  the 
herons  in  wooded  swamps  or  along  shores.  The 
herons  nest  in  trees  or  bushes,  the  bitterns  on  the 
ground.  In  the  South  are  many  other  species.  Next 
in  numbers  come  the  marsh-dwellers,  a  small  group, 
of  which  we  have  in  summer  the  sora  and  Vir- 
ginia rails,  while  from  the  Middle  States  south  the 
clapper  and  king  rails  and  the  Florida  gallinule  are 
found.  Of  the  shore-birds  only  the  spotted  sand- 
piper, our  familiar  "  teeter,"  is  at  all  common  as  a 
summer  resident.  The  piping  plover,  kildeer,  and 
upland  plover  were  once  familiar  residents,  but  now 
they  have  almost  disappeared. 

Of  the  swimming  birds,  only  the  dusky  or  "  black  " 
duck  and  the  wood  duck  are  at  all  widely  distributed 
in  the  Eastern  States,  but  by  the  prairie  lakes  and  in 
the  sloughs  of  the  western  interior,  a  number  of  oth- 
ers breed,  as  well  as  terns,  grebes,  gulls,  coot,  rails, 
and  some  shore-birds,  and,  well  to  the  north,  cor- 
morants and  white  pelicans.  In  the  inland  waters  of 
Maine  and  eastern  Canada  one  may  find  breeding  the 
loon,  the  horned  and  pied-billed  grebes,  the  goosander 
and  hooded  merganser,  and  a  few  other  ducks,  and 
on  the  coasts  of  these  districts  the  herring  gull,  black 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS     157 

guillemot,  eider  duck,  red-breasted  merganser,  com- 
mon and  arctic  terns,  Leach's  petrel  or  "  Mother 
Carey's  chicken,"  and  double-crested  cormorant. 
On  islands  from  Massachusetts  south  the  common, 
roseate,  and  least  terns  and  the  laughing  gull  breed 
locally  and  sparingly,  the  pitiful  remnant  of  the  mil- 
linery traffic.  The  black  tern  comes  as  a  migrant, 
breeding  in  the  sloughs  of  the  Northwest.  A  few 
other  terns  may  be  met  as  rare  stragglers.  The 
species  found  in  winter  have  been  mentioned  in  the 
chapter  on  winter  birds. 

The  periods  of  migration  are  the  best  times  of  all. 
In  spring,  April  is  the  month  for  ducks  and  geese, 
and  May  for  the  shore-birds.  On  the  southward 
flight  the  shore-birds  begin  to  return  in  July,  but  the 
height  of  migration  is  in  August  for  most  of  the 
smaller  species  and  September  for  the  others.  One 
small  species,  the  red-backed  sandpiper,  or  dunlin,  is 
very  late,  seldom  appearing  before  the  middle  of  Sep- 
tember and  being  common  in  October  on  the  beaches, 
after  all  the  other  small  fry  have  moved  on.  Octo- 
ber is  the  great  month  for  ducks,  and  late  October 
and  November  for  geese  and  the  hardier  ducks,  like 
the  oldsquaw,  mergansers,  and  eiders. 

Inland,  the  migration  of  water-birds  is,  of  course, 
not  nearly  as  conspicuous  as  on  the  coast.  Very  lit- 
tle is  seen  of  late  years  on  Eastern  inland  waters  of 
the  shore-birds.  Most  frequently  seen  of  this  class 
of  migrants  is  the  solitary  sandpiper,  found  alone  or 
at  most  in  pairs,  by  any  little  pool  or  larger  body  of 


158  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

water.  Now  and  then  a  flock  of  least  sandpipers,  or 
possibly  others,  may  appear  on  lake  or  river  margin. 
In  meadows  there  may  be  seen  an  occasional  single 
greater  or  lesser  yellowlegs,  or  a  small  flock  of  them. 
More  numerous  in  such  places  is  the  Wilson's  snipe, 
one  of  the  favorite  game-birds.  It  will  flush  from 
the  grass  before  us,  sometimes  quite  close,  and  dart 
off  rapidly,  with  a  peculiar  squeaking  cry.  The  best 
inland  region  for  shore-birds,  however,  is  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley  and  adjacent  districts,  through  which 
there  is  still  a  considerable  migration,  both  in  spring 
and  fall. 

In  meadow  or  morass  the  rails  become  much  more 
abundant  than  in  summer,  particularly  in  early  autumn 
on  frosty  mornings,  and  even  into  October.  As  we 
wade  about,  they  flutter  up  feebly  before  us,  with 
dangling  legs,  looking  like  young  birds  that  can 
hardly  fly.  They  only  fly  a  few  yards  and  then  drop 
back  into  the  tangle,  where  they  run  like  witches,  it 
being  almost  impossible  to  flush  them  again  for  the 
present.  The  Virginia  rail  can  be  distinguished  from 
the  sora  by  being  slightly  larger,  with  a  much  longer 
bill  and  reddish-tinted  under-parts.  The  American 
coot  and  the  Florida  gallinule  are  mostly  seen  swim- 
ming in  some  wet  morass  among  the  reeds,  or  on  a 
marshy  pond  among  lily-pads.  In  wading  the  bogs 
in  autumn  one  will  flush  the  American  bittern  more 
often  than  at  any  other  time,  and  also  the  green  heron, 
and  see  the  solitary  great  blue  heron,  an  enormous 
bird,  flap  warily  off  beyond  gunshot. 


fe  V  \    ('-;li 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS     159 

To  speak  of  the  swimming  birds,  there  is  probably 
no  more  familiar  sight  in  this  line  than  to  see  a  grebe, 
or  a  small,  scattered  party  of  them,  bobbing  around  in 
a  pond  among  the  lily-pads.  Most  persons  call  them 
ducks,  but  one  can  readily  distinguish  them  by  their 
practice  of  frequently  diving  and  remaining  about 
a  minute  under  water.  It  is  a  very  pretty  sight  to 
watch  them.  Two  kinds  are  ordinarily  seen  in  East- 
ern waters :  the  little  brown  fellow  with  a  bill  like  a 
hen  is  the  pied-billed  grebe  or  dabchick;  the  other  is 
the  horned  grebe,  which  in  autumn  has  a  white  breast, 
but  in  spring  quite  a  gay  plumage  with  noticeable 
tufts  of  reddish-brown  and  black  on  the  head. 

In  the  longitude  of  the  Dakotas  we  find  the  west- 
ern, Holboell's,  and  eared  grebes  nesting  in  the 
sloughs.  The  advent  of  the  great  loon  and  the  some- 
what smaller  red-throated  loon  into  the  larger  ponds 
or  lakes  is  a  not  uncommon  and  interesting  event. 
How  wonderfully  they  can  swim  and  dive,  and  what 
strange  sounds  are  the  laughter-like  cries  I  Almost 
any  of  the  numerous  species  of  the  ducks  are  liable  to 
stop  in  the  larger  lakes,  or  even  the  smaller  ponds. 
In  the  hunting  season  the  gunning-stands  keep  pretty 
good  track  of  the  occurrence  of  the  various  ducks,  but 
in  the  spring  hardly  anyone  is  watching  for  them  and 
they  slip  through  largely  unnoticed.  Persecution  has 
rendered  them  so  shy  that  they  are,  in  populous  parts 
of  the  country,  very  timid  about  showing  themselves. 

The  best  way  to  see  wild  ducks  inland  in  fall  is  to 
watch  in  a  gunning  stand  with  the  hunters  and  their 


i6o  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

live  decoys.  More  ducks  are  shot  just  at  daybreak 
than  at  any  other  time.  This  involves  either  sleep- 
ing in  the  "  bunk-house  "  or  rising  very  early  and  go- 
ing out  when  it  is  dark.  In  the  latter  case  one  must 
enter  from  the  rear  and  not  be  seen  by  ducks  which 
have  come  in.  Evening  dusk  is  also  a  good  time, 
when  the  ducks  begin  to  fly  about  to  feed.  In  the 
East  our  common  staple  at  such  times  is  the  dusky  or 
"  black  "  duck,  with  a  smattering  of  wood  duck,  mal- 
lard, pintail,  blue  and  green-winged  teals,  ruddy  duck, 
redhead,  and  less  frequently  the  shoveller,  bald- 
pate,  gadwall,  bufflehead,  canvasback,  or  others.  In 
the  West  and  South  most  of  these  are  much  more 
common.  The  flocks  of  Canada  geese  are  due  in  late 
October  or  early  November. 

The  sea-coast,  of  course,  gives  much  the  best  op- 
portunity to  see  the  migration  of  water-birds  of  nearly 
all  kinds.  Shore-birds  are  a  delightful  group. 
What  is  finer  than  the  sight  of  a  flock  of  sandpipers, 
chased  by  the  surf,  scurrying  up  the  beach,  or  the 
band  of  plovers  or  curlews  feeding  on  the  salt  marsh 
or  flat!  Unfortunately  most  of  them  have  been  shot 
off,  and  the  larger  kinds  are  seldom  seen.  It  is  a 
crime  against  Nature  which  makes  the  blood  of  the 
bird-lover  fairly  boil.  What  right  have  ignorant, 
thoughtless  people  to  exterminate  our  bird-life!  If 
hunting  cannot  be  regulated,  better  no  hunting  at  all, 
for  there  can  be  none  anywhere  when  the  game  is 
all  destroyed.  The  question  now  is  how  to  save  the 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS      161 

remnant  and  secure  its  increase  back  to  normal  abun- 
dance. 

To  mention  a  few  of  the  shore-birds  which  one  is 
likely  to  meet,  the  most  numerous  are  some  of  the 
sandpipers,  especially  the  little  semipalmated  sand- 
piper, which  one  will  see  in  flocks  on  beaches  and  flats. 
The  least  sandpiper  resorts  more  to  marshes,  but  both 
go  together  at  times.  They  are  hard  to  tell  apart  at 
a  distance,  but  the  latter  is  smaller,  browner,  and 
has  no  partial  webs  between  the  toes.  With  these  are 
often  a  few  white-rumped  sandpipers,  distinguished 
by  what  the  name  implies.  The  sanderling  is  a  larger 
species,  quite  pale  in  color,  but  not  as  much  so  as  the 
little  piping  plover  which  races  along  the  beach,  al- 
most the  color  of  the  sand.  All  plovers,  too,  are 
stouter  in  build.  The  turnstone  prefers  stony  shores. 

The  knot  is  the  largest  sandpiper,  a  beautiful  bird 
with  pencilled  markings  on  its  back.  The  pectoral 
sandpiper,  distinguished  by  a  heavily  marked  breast 
from  the  sanderling,  though  of  the  same  size,  prefers 
the  salt  marsh,  as  does  the  dowitcher,  which  latter 
will  attract  instant  attention  by  its  very  long  straight 
bill.  The  two  species  of  yellow-legs  are  also  birds  of 
the  marsh.  The  main  difference  between  them  is  one 
of  size,  and  both  have  long  yellow  legs  and  show  a 
white  rump  as  they  fly.  Their  clear  piping  calls,  con- 
sisting of  three  or  four  quickly-repeated,  resounding 
whistles,  are  very  striking  and  easily  imitated,  by  do- 
ing which  the  birds  are  very  easily  decoyed.  The 


162  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

willet  is  another  large  wader,  with  white  bars  on  its 
wings.  Occasionally  a  Hudsonian  curlew  appears. 

Of  the  plovers,  the  little  ring-neck  or  semipalmated 
plover  is  by  far  the  most  common,  to  be  found  on 
flats  and  beaches.  The  large  black-bellied  plover, 
while  not  really  rare,  is  too  good  eating  to  be  abun- 
dant, as  it  formerly  was.  It  is  especially  fond  of 
muddy  or  sandy  flats  and  is  extremely  shy.  Its  near 
relative,  the  golden  plover,  is  scarce  now  on  the  At- 
lantic coast,  as  it  has  learned  to  migrate  in  the  fall 
from  the  Maritime  Provinces  straight  south  over  the 
ocean,  to  make  its  wonderful  and  famous  flight  to  Ar- 
gentine and  Patagonia.  Some,  however,  are  de- 
flected in  to  us  in  late  August  and  September  by 
easterly  winds  or  storms.  During  the  autumn  of 
1909  more  of  them  were  observed  and  taken  about 
New  Haven,  Connecticut,  than  for  many  years,  sug- 
gesting that  protective  laws  may  be  having  real  ef- 
fect. 

The  best  way  to  see  the  shore-birds  in  these  days 
is  to  make  a  trip  south  in  spring.  Quite  an  army  of 
this  tribe  pass  along  the  coast  of  the  Carolinas.  But 
to  include  the  golden  plover,  the  trip  should  be  to 
the  Louisiana  coast,  especially  in  the  delta  region  of 
the  Mississippi  River.  For  an  autumn  trip,  and  not 
a  very  distant  one  either,  try  the  east  shore  of  Nova 
Scotia,  anywhere  along  the  Cape  Sable  region.  On 
Cape  Sable  Island  and  the  adjacent  Barrington  pas- 
sage there  are  still  fair  numbers  of  shore-birds  at  times 
in  August  and  September.  On  the  shores  of  New 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS      163 

England  and  the  Middle  States  shore-birds  are  pretty 
scarce,  though  on  Cape  Cod,  Nantucket,  and  Long 
Island  there  are  some  to  be  seen,  especially  during 
and  just  after  an  easterly  storm. 

In  August  and  September  it  will  abundantly  repay 
one  to  take  a  trip  with  a  fisherman  well  off  to  sea 
southeast  from  Chatham,  Massachusetts,  on  Cape 
Cod,  or  eastward  off  Cape  Sable  Island,  Nova  Scotia, 
to  observe  the  birds  which  live  on  the  open  ocean. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  embark  on  an  extended  voyage. 
Just  hire  a  sail-boat  and  run  off  shore  from  five  to 
ten  miles.  The  numbers  of  birds  will  depend  upon 
where  the  schools  of  bait-fish  happen  to  be,  but  on 
many  days  there  will  be  birds,  and  frequently  hun- 
dreds of  them.  There  we  are  more  than  likely  to 
see  plenty  of  Wilson's  petrels,  and  numbers  of  greater 
shearwaters,  some  of  the  sooty,  and  possibly  a  few 
Corey's  shearwaters.  These  are  all  wonderful  birds, 
that  breed  in  the  Antarctic  regions,  and  during  their 
winter,  which  is  our  summer,  wander  over  our  part 
of  the  ocean. 

In  August  the  jaegers  arrive  from  the  North,  and, 
chasing  the  terns,  make  them  disgorge  their  fish,  often 
catching  it  in  mid-air.  Of  these  there  are  the  Poma- 
rine,  parasitic  and  long-tailed  species.  About  the 
middle  of  August  the  little  northern  and  red 
phalaropes  migrate  down  our  coast  out  to  sea,  and 
may  be  encountered  in  flocks,  feeding  on  drift-weed 
or  flying  along.  Such  a  trip  is  perfectly  practicable 
and  one  of  the  most  rewarding  of  ornithological  ex- 


164  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

periences,  because  of  its  novelty.  Have  the  skipper 
of  the  boat  provide  fish-livers  to  toll  up  the  birds. 
Crumbling  the  bait  up  fine,  it  should  be  dribbled  out 
astern  as  the  boat  sails,  and,  if  there  are  any  birds 
within  miles,  they  are  almost  sure  to  follow  up  the 
boat  and  give  great  chances  for  pictures  with  the  re- 
flecting camera. 

In  October,  when  the  migration  of  wildfowl  is  at 
its  height,  I  would  suggest  a  trip  to  some  one  of  the 
projections  of  land  past  which  the  fowl  are  accus- 
tomed to  fly  each  year.  There  the  gunners  usually 
shoot  from  a  line  of  boats  at  the  passing  flocks,  an- 
choring off  at  daybreak,  a  gunshot  apart.  Some 
days,  particularly  if  the  wind  be  at  all  easterly,  thou- 
sands of  fowl  go  by,  mostly  very  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, but  to  some  extent  all  day.  Here  one  may  see 
the  three  kinds  of  scoters,  both  the  scaup  ducks,  the 
red-breasted  merganser,  oldsquaw,  eiders,  golden- 
eyes,  and  occasionally  any  of  the  ducks,  also  the  brant, 
loon,  red-throated  loon,  various  gulls,  jaegers,  cor- 
morants, gannets,  sometimes  auks,  puffin,  guillemots, 
or  flocks  of  Holboell's  or  horned  grebes. 

One  does  not  see  all  of  these  each  day  by  any 
means,  yet  in  the  course  of  various  trips  I  have  seen 
them  all  and  others.  Such  outings  are  certainly  inter- 
esting and  exciting.  For  places  to  go  I  suggest 
Manomet,  Cohasset,  and  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Ann, 
Massachusetts,  and  Cape  Sable,  Nova  Scotia;  there 
must  also  be  many  good  spots  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 
Points  at  least  as  far  north  as  Maine  have  the  ad- 


Scoters,  or  "Sea-Coots,"  migrating.     The  photographer  was 
almost  blown  out  to  sea  while  securing  this  picture. 

—p.  164 


Turnstone 


Surprised  by  crawling  through   marsh-grass. 

— v. 160 


FOLLOWING  THE  WATER-BIRDS      165 

vantage  that  certain  species  can  be  seen  there  which 
hardly  ever  come  as  far  south  as  Massachusetts,  not- 
ably the  auk  family,  and  some  ducks  like  the  king 
eider  and  harlequin.  The  latter  are  common  off  the 
coast  of  Maine  in  late  fall  and  winter,  but  are  rare 
farther  south. 

The  most  satisfactory  way  in  these  days  to  gain 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  seabirds  is  to  visit  the  col- 
onies protected  by  the  Government  and  the  National 
Association  of  Audubon  Societies.  While  these  must 
not  be  allowed  to  become  tourist  resorts,  students  who 
are  responsible  persons  can  secure  permission  to  visit 
them  under  the  guidance  of  wardens.  They  must  not 
keep  the  birds  off  their  nests  or  frighten  the  young 
into  the  sea,  yet,  with  very  little  trespassing  upon  the 
privacy  of  the  birds,  wonderful  sights  can  be  gained. 
Such  a  place  as  Great  Bird  Rock,  off  the  coast  of 
Newfoundland,  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  will  re- 
pay any  effort  to  reach.  The  spectacle  of  those  thou- 
sands of  birds  sitting  on  their  nests  on  the  edges  of 
the  cliffs  or  swarming  in  the  air,  while  the  surf  thun- 
ders against  the  rocks  below,  will  cause  one  to  thrill 
every  time  it  is  brought  again  to  mind.  The  best 
time  to  go  is  in  July,  when  there  are  both  eggs  and 
young.  The  birds  have  mostly  laid  their  eggs  by 
the  middle  of  June. 

It  would  take  too  much  space  even  briefly  to  de- 
scribe or  characterize  all  the  water-birds,  but  it  is 
hoped  that  the  few  hints  in  this  chapter  may  be 
enough  to  stimulate  some  interest  and  give  at  least 


1 66  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

a  start.  Such  birds  as  the  warblers  are  exquisitely 
beautiful,  but  to  the  birds  of  water  and  ocean  there 
clings  a  special  glamour  of  the  wild  which  is  very 
fascinating  to  those  who  feel  at  times  the  spirit  of 
hardihood  and  adventure  luring  them  afield  and 
afloat. 


CAMERA  HUNTING  AND  EQUIPMENT 


CHAPTER  XIII 
CAMERA  HUNTING  AND  EQUIPMENT 

HUNTING  with  the  camera  has  in  recent 
years  come  into  great  vogue  as  a  sport  and 
an  adjunct  to  outdoor  studies  of  nature. 
From  the  sportsman's  standpoint,  it  provides  a  real 
hunting,  in  which  there  are  no  closed  seasons,  mak- 
ing all  wild  creatures  legitimate  game,  instead  of  a 
limited  few.  Viewed  from  the  province  of  the  col- 
lector, the  acquiring  of  interesting  and  valuable  pic- 
torial trophies  satisfies  the  almost  universal  passion 
for  "  making  a  collection "  of  some  sort.  As  a 
method  of  scientific  research,  it  is  valuable  in  many 
different  ways.  All  in  all  it  is  a  most  fascinating  em- 
ployment, with  all  the  freshness  of  -the  open,  from 
which  no  age  or  sex  is  debarred.  Some  aspects  of  it 
are  difficult,  yet  not  so  much  so  as  to  be  beyond  the 
reach  of  any  who  are  in  earnest.  My  purpose  is  to 
give  such  directions  and  suggestions,  simply  and  yet 
in  sufficient  detail,  that  anyone  who  wishes  may  be 
able  successfully  to  take  up  this  "  new  hunting." 

At  the  outset,  it  is  important  to  secure  the  right 

type  of  camera,  one  which  is  adapted  to  the  work  in 

hand.     It  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed  upon  the 

mind  that  the  ordinary  snap-shot  camera,  with  single 

169 


170  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

lens  and  fixed  focus,  or  those  which  do  not  allow  of 
focusing  upon  a  ground  glass  and  require  one  to 
measure  or  guess  at  the  distance  are  almost  worthless 
for  this  purpose.  Occasionally  one  might  happen  to 
secure  a  good  picture,  but  it  is  a  heavy  handicap.  It 
is  hard  sometimes  to  have  to  inform  an  inquirer  that 
his  much-advertised  affair  will  not  fill  the  bill.  Nor 
is  the  particular  "  make  "  important,  so  long  as  it  is 
of  a  type  adapted  to  do  the  work. 

There  are  two  types  of  cameras  necessary  for  the 
fullest  success  in  this  work,  for  different  classes  of 
subjects  —  first,  for  general  purposes,  the  ordinary 
long-focus  instrument,  and  then,  for  certain  special 
work,  the  reflecting  type  of  camera.  The  beginner 
should  first  secure  the  former  and  learn  to  use  it. 
Then,  if  he  or  she  wishes  to  go  farther,  the  other 
may  be  acquired. 

The  best  all-around  instrument  for  general  pur- 
poses is  some  well-made  focusing  camera  using  the 
4x5  inch  size  of  plate,  of  light  weight,  with  not  less 
than  sixteen  inches  front  "  draw  "  from  plate  to  lens, 
preferably  a  little  more.  This  length  of  bellows  will 
allow  the  use  of  single  lenses  of  the  doublet,  or  of  a 
telephoto  attachment.  Instruments  that  have  back 
draw  have  longer  bellows,  but  are  heavier  than  is 
necessary.  The  lightly-built  "  cycle  "  models  answer 
every  purpose,  and  the  matter  of  even  a  pound  or  two 
is  important  when  it  comes  to  all-day  tramps,  flounder- 
ing through  bogs,  or  ascending  tall  trees. 

As  to  size,  the  4x5  is  the  best  for  active  field-work, 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  171 

and  is  the  size  preferred  by  most  workers.  Any- 
thing less  is  too  small.  The  5x7  is  better  for  scenic 
pictures,  but  is  unnecessarily  cumbersome  for  work 
in  trees,  as  it  is  hard  to  screw  up  rigidly  so  heavy 
an  instrument.  Furthermore,  owing  to  the  usual  dif- 
ficulty of  getting  very  near  any  wild  bird,  one  can 
seldom  secure  an  image  of  the  subject  large  enough 
to  anywhere  near  fill  even  a  4x5  plate.  A  good 
sharp  image  of  a  bird  even  half  an  inch  long  with 
good  detail  can  be  successfully  enlarged  almost  in- 
definitely. I  often  secure,  for  framing,  very  clear 
and  good  nxi4-inch  enlargements  from  4x5  nega- 
tives. 

The  reflecting  camera,  with  its  ingenious  mirror 
arrangement  for  seeing  the  image  of  the  game  up  to 
the  instant  of  exposure  and  its  extremely  rapid  cur- 
tain-shutter, is  the  only  instrument  adapted  to  secur- 
ing pictures  of  birds  in  flight  or  motion,  or  by  stalk- 
ing. Further  details  of  this  will  be  found  in  another 
chapter. 

As  to  the  lens,  it  must  be  of  the  doublet  type  which 
requires  careful  focusing.  It  should  be  of  the  largest 
size  and  longest  focus  which  will  allow  the  use  of  the 
single  lenses  of  the  doublet  with  the  length  of  bellows 
or  "  draw  "  of  the  camera.  The  longer  the  focus 
of  the  lens,  the  larger  will  be  the  image  of  a  bird  se- 
cured at  a  given  distance.  Each  single  lens  of  a  doub- 
let gives  about  double  the  size  of  image  of  the  bird, 
from  the  same  spot,  as  with  the  two  in  combination, 
but  the  time  of  exposure  has  to  be  about  four  times 


I72  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

as  long  as  in  the  latter  case.  The  usual  rule  is  to 
buy  a  lens  of  the  next  size  larger  than  the  one  ordi- 
narily sold  with  the  camera.  A  4x5  camera,  such  as 
I  have  recommended, above,  will  allow  the  use  of  the 
lens  doublet  and  its  members  designed  for  the  5x7 
size;  for  the  latter  size  the  lens  for  the  6^x8^2  in- 
strument will  be  all  right. 

A  little  inquiry  will  disclose  the  fact  that  some 
lenses  cost  a  great  deal.  These  expensive  ones  are  of 
the  type  called  anastigmats,  or  corrected  lenses. 
They  allow  of  a  more  rapid  exposure  than  the  others, 
and  give  very  sharp  detail  in  the  picture,  even  when 
used  at  full  opening,  without  being  stopped  down. 
For  the  general  camera,  of  the  type  first  mentioned, 
an  anastigmat  is  not  essential,  though  it  is  a  good1 
thing  to  have  one  if  possible.  Any  good  ordinary 
commercial  lens  will  do  quite  well,  though  it  is  slower. 
Much  of  the  work  is  with  timed  exposures,  at  small 
aperture  of  the  lens,  which  of  itself  insures  sharp  de- 
tail. To  test  a  lens,  focus  upon  a  general  view  and 
examine  the  image  on  the  ground  glass.  If  it  is  not 
clear  and  sharp  to  the  very  corners,  the  lens  will  not 
do.  When  it  comes,  however,  to  rapid  snapshots 
with  the  reflecting  camera,  a  rapid  anastigmat  is  very 
desirable.  By  purchasing  American  makes  or  watch- 
ing for  exchange  bargains  one  may  save  a  good  deal 
of  money. 

Some  anastigmat  lenses  which  are  advertised  as  ex- 
tremely "  fast  "  gain  rapidity  at  the  expense  of  length 
and  depth  of  focus.  The  longer  the  focus  the  greater 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  173 

will  be  the  image  of  the  "  game  "  at  a  given  distance 
and  the  more  objects  will  be  in  focus  at  the  same  time 
at  varying  distances  from  the  camera,  both  of  which 
matters  are  of  great  importance.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  longer  the  focus,  or  the  farther  away  the  lens  is 
from  the  plate,  the  less  is  the  illumination  and  con- 
sequent rapidity.  But  extreme  rapidity  is  dearly  pur- 
chased for  this  work  at  the  expense  of  depth  of  focus, 
and  it  is  better  to  be  content  with  a  medium  rapidity, 
which  is  quite  ample.  The  doublet  of  a  4x5  size 
should  not  be  of  shorter  focus  than  six  inches,  and 
that  of  the  5x7  at  least  seven  and  a  half  inches. 

A  good  plan,  if  one  gets  both  types  of  cameras 
and  does  not  care  to  buy  two  lenses,  is  to  secure  an 
anastigmat  and  use  it  interchangeably  in  both.  The 
lens-flanges  on  both  cameras  should  be  duplicates,  and 
the  transfer  can  be  made  in  a  moment. 

There  is  another  lens  which  is  sometimes  useful 
in  conjunction  with  the  regular  lens,  the  telephoto 
attachment.  This  is  screwed  on  to  the  doublet  lens 
and  has  a  telescopic  effect,  increasing  the  size  of  the 
image  made  by  the  doublet  from  six  to  eight  diam- 
eters, as  desired.  It  must  be  fitted  by  the  manufac- 
turer or  optical  expert  to  the  particular  lens  in  hand. 
It  is  an  instrument  of  only  occasional  utility,  and  very 
difficult  to  handle  successfully.  Directions  as  to  its 
use  will  be  given  in  the  next  chapter. 

The  general  camera  should  be  carried  in  a  leather 
case  which  is  slung  over  the  shoulders  by  straps.  In 
this  carrying-case  there  should  also  be  a  compartment 


174  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

to  carry  six  double  plate-holders.  The  reflecting 
camera  is  heavy  and  can  most  easily  be  carried  in 
hand  by  the  handle  on  top.  I  have  never  used  a 
case  for  this,  as  it  involves  too  much  extra  weight. 

If  possible  the  plate-holders  should  fit  both  the 
general  and  reflecting  cameras  interchangeably,  for 
it  is  a  great  advantage  to  be  able  to  apply  one's  whole 
stock  of  plates  afield  to  either  or  both  cameras  at  will. 
Sometimes,  especially  on  expeditions  to  strange  and 
distant  places,  I  have  fallen  in  with  game  which  re- 
quired the  use  of  one  or  the  other  type  of  camera  ex- 
clusively, and  many  plates.  To  have  the  holders  in- 
terchangeable under  these  circumstances  practically 
doubles  the  stock.  Most  dealers  sell  a  special  holder 
with  their  camera,  probably  through  business  neces- 
sity, but  some  of  these  will  fit  others. 

The  number  of  plates  to  be  taken  afield  on  a  day's 
jaunt  will  depend  altogether  upon  probable  need. 
On  a  long  walk  when  hunting  for  new  material,  es- 
pecially when  no  subjects  have  been  found  in  advance, 
the  dozen  plates  in  the  carrying-case  of  the  camera 
will  usually  suffice.  In  colonies  of  water-birds  I 
sometimes  use  sixty  plates  in  a  day,  and  thus  have 
thirty  holders.  The  extra  ones  are  carried  in  another 
carrying-case,  with  the  overflow  from  this  in  a  creel, 
wrapped  in  a  dark  cloth. 

The  only  plates  which  should  be  considered  for  this 
work  are  those  of  the  maximum  rapidity.  The  Lu- 
miere  Sigma  plates  are  the  fastest  I  know  of  at  pres- 
ent, and  are  splendid  for  extremely  rapid  exposures 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  175 

with  the  reflecting  camera.  The  American  plate, 
made  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  is  excellent,  fast, 
and  cheap.  The  quickest  grades  of  Seed,  Hammer, 
Cramer,  and  Eastman  plates  are  also  first  class. 

As  between  plates  and  films,  I  find  plates  generally 
preferable,  being  faster,  cheaper,  and  easier  to  manip- 
ulate. Their  weight  and  liability  to  breakage  are 
the  objections,  but  I  do  not  consider  that  these  out- 
weigh the  advantages.  With  careful  handling  and 
packing  I  have  never  had  a  loss  through  breakage, 
though  sometimes  on  expeditions  requiring  many 
plates  I  have  paid  express  or  excess  baggage.  For 
the  slower  exposures,  films  will  answer,  if  one  cares 
to  pay  the  price,  but  one  should  use  cut  films,  and  not 
films  in  rolls,  so  as  to  be  able  to  give  each  exposure 
separate  and  careful  treatment. 

That  the  tripod  and  focus-cloth  are  needed  acces- 
sories almost  goes  without  saying,  yet  there  are  a  few 
suggestions  to  make  even  about  these.  The  tripod 
must  be  carried  about  with  the  general  camera,  hence 
it  should  be  of  light  weight,  yet  not  so  fragile  that  it 
will  not  be  practically  rigid.  It  certainly  must  be 
firm  if  one  would  do  successful  telephoto  work.  Pref- 
erably it  should  fold  in  four  sections  rather  than 
three,  so  that  it  can  be  transported  in  a  suit-case.  It 
is  well  to  have  it  of  some  dull,  inconspicuous  hue,  and 
not  to  have  the  metal  parts  bright  and  shiny.  The 
focus-cloth  likewise  should  be  of  a  dull  color,  such  as 
a  nondescript  brown,  at  least  on  one  side.  It  should 
be  waterproof  in  order  that  the  camera  when  left  set 


i76  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

for  a  timid  bird  may  not  be  injured  by  rain.  Such  a 
cloth  also  is  very  much  needed  when  one  is  caught  in 
a  shower  to  cover  things  up.  The  rubber-washed 
ones  soon  get  leaky,  yet  two  leaking  ones  afford  con- 
siderable protection. 

A  very  important  piece  of  apparatus  is  something 
with  which  to  fasten  the  smaller  camera  in  a  tree,  or 
on  a  ladder  or  building.  A  shawl-strap  arrangement 
can  be  used  in  many  cases,  though  it  seems  to  me 
rather  cumbersome  and  liable  to  slip.  The  best  ar- 
rangement I  know  of,  and  which  I  use,  is  a  very  sim- 
ple one  devised  by  an  ornithologist,  the  Rev.  P.  B. 
Peabody.  It  is  in  two  parts,  the  first  of  which  con- 
sists of  an  ordinary  carriage-bolt  about  a  foot  long, 
with  a  screw  at  one  end,  bent  in  the  middle  at  right 
angles.  At  the  end  opposite  the  screw  should  be 
glued  a  pad  made  by  wrapping  leather  about  the  last 
two  inches  of  the  shank. 

The  other  part  is  what  is  known  as  a  camera  bi- 
cycle-clamp, a  ball  and  socket  arrangement.  In  the 
metal  ball  a  tripod-screw  is  inserted  which  screws  into 
the  camera.  The  clamp  grips  the  ball  and  also 
clamps  around  the  bicycle  handle  or  any  other  rod. 
In  using  the  instrument  the  screw-bolt  is  driven  into 
the  tree  firmly,  and  the  ball  and  socket,  with  the  cam- 
era, is  made  to  grip  the  pad  at  the  end  of  the  rod. 
Further  details  as  to  its  use  will  be  given  presently. 

In  connection  with  this  arrangement  one  also  needs 
a  "  goose-neck  "  device  to  use  on  the  camera,  so  as 
to  be  able  to  point  the  latter  at  any  angle  up  or  down. 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  177 

One  will  readily  see  the  need  of  it  when  trying  to 
focus  the  camera  without  it  on  a  ground  nest,  or  on 
something  near  it.  Mr.  Peabody's  device  is  to  use 
the  same  ball  and  socket  clamp  as  above,  and,  instead 
of  the  screw-bolt,  a  shorter  round  iron  rod,  about  six 
inches  long,  bent  in  the  middle  at  an  angle  of  forty- 
five  degrees.  One  end  should  be  flattened,  so  the 
thing  will  stand  firmly  on  that  side,  the  other  pointing 
up  at  the  aforesaid  angle. 

Near  the  end  of  this  flattened  part  a  hole  should  be 
bored,  with  a  thread  cut  to  correspond  with  the  thread 
of  the  tripod  screw.  At  the  other  extremity  of  the 
rod  should  be  put  a  pad  like  that  of  the  screw-bolt. 
Then  one  screws  it  to  the  tripod,  and  with  the  clamp 
attaches  the  camera  to  the  pad,  and  it  will  be  found 
possible  to  aim  in  absolutely  any  direction.  There 
are  other  devices  on  sale,  but  I  have  seen  none  so 
light,  convenient,  and  simple  as  this  combination  for 
both  tree  and  tripod  work. 

There  is  one  other  article  without  which  the  equip- 
ment is  incomplete, —  a  hiding-tent,  to  conceal  the 
camera-hunter  while  doing  certain  kinds  of  work.  It 
is  wonderful  how  the  shyest  birds  can  be  so  deceived 
as  to  utterly  ignore  such  a  device.  I  have  sat  in  one 
in  a  colony  of  herring  gulls  and  had  the  birds  actually 
brush  their  tails  and  wings  against  me,  separated 
from  them  but  by  the  thickness  of  the  cloth,  as  they 
walked  to  their  nests.  Had  I  sat  there  uncovered, 
not  one  would  have  come  anywhere  near  the  nest. 

Various  tent  devices  have  been  described,  but  the 


1 78  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

general  principle  in  all  cases  is  the  same.  I  am  using 
the  umbrella-tent  arrangement  as  first  described  by 
Mr.  F.  M.  Chapman,  which  can  be  made  by  anyone 
as  follows :  Get  a  strong  umbrella  of  good  size,  say 
with  the  ribs  about  three  feet  long,  with  a  wooden 
handle.  Cut  off  the  knob  or  crook,  leaving  a 
straight  round  shaft  projecting  a  little  beyond  the 
ends  of  the  ribs.  At  a  machine-shop  have  a  sliding 
arrangement  made,  similar  to  that  used  in  a  music- 
rack,  consisting  of  two  hollow  metal  tubes,  each  about 
a  yard  long,  one  of  which  slides  into  the  other.  In 
the  outer  one,  several  inches  down  from  the  upper 
end,  a  hole  should  be  cut  for  a  thumb-screw,  so  that 
the  rack  may  be  extended  to  any  desired  degree. 
Shave  off  the  end  of  the  umbrella-handle  so  that  it 
will  fit  snugly  several  inches  down  into  the  upper 
end  of  the  tube,  above  the  thumb-screw.  Out  of  hard 
wood  make  a  pin,  ending  in  a  point,  the  other  end 
fitting  firmly  into  the  bottom  of  the  tube.  This  is  to 
insert  into  the  ground  to  hold  up  the  rod  with  the 
umbrella. 

Now  for  the  tent  part.  Out  of  strong,  unbleached 
cotton  cloth  have  made  a  crude  tent  just  the  size  and 
shape  of  the  umbrella  when  spread  and  just  reaching 
to  the  ground  when  erected  high  enough  to  enable 
one  to  kneel.  With  hip-boots  one  can  kneel  on  wet 
ground.  If  in  water,  the  rod  can  be  lengthened  so 
that  the  bottom  of  the  tent  will  just  reach  the  water, 
and,  say  knee-deep  in  water  or  mud,  one  can  stand 
erect  in  it.  It  is  easy  to  cut  the  cloth  for  the  tent 


CAMERA  EQUIPMENT  179 

by  eye  when  the  umbrella  is  set  up  outdoors  at  the 
desired  height.  There  may  be  loops  at  the  bottom 
for  tent-pins,  and  it  may  be  fitted  with  guy-ropes,  but 
I  have  always  got  along  without  these  by  piling  sticks, 
stones,  or  sand  on  the  flaps,  and,  instead  of  guy-ropes, 
using  branches  or  poles,  or  propping  it  up  among 
bushes  or  rushes.  On  beach  or  marsh  there  is  usu- 
ally driftwood  available. 

The  color  may  be  changed  at  will.  According  to 
where  it  is  to  be  used  it  may  be  brown,  green,  or  gray. 
To  color  it,  I  set  it  up,  and  daub  on  the  dye  with  a 
white-wash  brush,  making  the  color  darkest  at  the 
top  and  quite  light  below,  according  to  the  now  recog- 
nized principle  of  protective  coloration.  For  peek- 
holes,  simply  cut  small  slits  or  square  holes  with  knife 
or  scissors,  as  desired,  leaving  the  flap  hanging  so 
that  it  can  be  pinned  together  again  upon  occasion. 

Not  all  of  these  implements  will  be  in  use  at  the 
same  time,  but  they  are  all  useful  at  some  time,  and 
on  a  trip  or  expedition  they  should  all  be  taken,  or  one 
is  liable  to  be  handicapped  at  an  important  juncture 
and  perhaps  robbed  of  a  crowning  triumph  by  the  lack 
of  one  of  these  articles. 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA 


CHAPTER  XIV 

USING  THE  ORDINARY,  CAMERA 

BEFORE  we  fly  we  must  walk.  The  beginner 
in  hunting  with  the  camera  must  not  expect 
to  start  right  out  and  secure  difficult  spectacu- 
lar pictures  of  birds  in  flight,  or  become  disheartened 
because  he  cannot.  This  will  come  in  time,  and 
meanwhile  each  step  has  its  interest  and  fascination. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  learn  the  elemen- 
tary principles  of  photography,  both  as  to  the  taking 
and  the  making  of  the  picture.  By  all  means  do  the 
whole  thing  yourself,  as  part  of  the  sport;  develop 
your  own  plates,  print  your  own  pictures,  and  make 
your  own  enlargements  and  lantern-slides  if  you  want 
them.  One  learns  through  working  out  the  processes 
how  to  improve  the  work.  Hiring  things  done  gives 
little  stimulus  to  the  mind  and  is  apt  to  keep  one  in 
the  ranks  of  the  bungling  snap-shotter.  There  is  a 
real  excitement  in  watching  the  image  appear  on  the 
plate  in  the  dark-room  which  is  almost  as  vivid  as  the 
experience  afield  in  securing  a  fine  "  shot "  or  ex- 
posure. So  secure  an  elementary  book  or  pamphlet 
on  photography,  and  try  first  of  all  some  ordinary 
landscape  pictures. 

Though  this  book  must  not  be  a  treatise  on  pho- 
183 


1 84  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

tography,  I  will  give  a  few  hints  about  some  practical 
matters  which  have  a  special  bearing  on  this  depart- 
ment. The  main  thing  we  are  to  try  for  is  to  secure 
clear,  sharp,  detailed  pictures  of  the  wild  bird  or  an- 
imal in  life,  as  well  as  of  other  natural  objects,  and 
not  the  blurry  monstrosities  which  some  people  are 
pleased  to  consider  "  artistic."  Learning  the  proper 
length  of  the  exposure  will  give  some  trouble  at  first, 
but  with  the  help  of  published  tables,  or  of  "  ex- 
posure-meters," this  will  soon  cease  to  be  a  problem. 

A  developer  which  works  slowly  and  gives  bril- 
liancy is  the  most  easily  controlled  and  the  best  for 
the  beginner.  Hydroquinone  is  good  to  try  first,  but 
certainly  not  pyro,  which,  though  often  recom- 
mended, is  dirty  and  troublesome  to  handle.  Do  not 
take  the  plate  out  of  the  developer  when  the  picture 
looks  best  on  the  surface,  but  leave  it  in  till  the  im- 
age shows  clearly  through  the  glass  side  of  the  plate, 
even  if  the  surface  picture  seems  to  fade  away  into 
utter  blackness.  Such  darkening  shows  too  long  ex- 
posure, but  it  will  only  make  matters  worse  to  take  it 
out  before  the  image  has  formed  clear  through  the 
coating  on  the  plate. 

This  over-exposure  can  be  remedied,  as  under-ex- 
posure cannot,  in  the  following  way,  which  is  worth 
knowing:  If  the  plate  is  very  black  and  dense,  yet 
with  a  clear  image,  as  seen  by  holding  it  before  a 
strong  light,  put  it  in  a  reducing  solution  of  red 
prussiate  of  potassium  and  hyposulphite  of  soda  until 
it  thins  down  to  just  a  good  printing  density.  This 


Nest  of  Whippoorwill.     Easy  to  see  eggs  when  bird  leaves  them. 


Whippoorwill  on  nest,   showing  'protective  coloration. 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     185 

will  strengthen  the  contrasts  somewhat.  If  it  needs 
more  contrast,  make  the  best  possible  print  on  con- 
trastive  glossy  Velox,  or  similar  developing  paper, 
and  then  photograph  this  print,  developing  for  con- 
trast. The  result  may  be  a  very  fine  printing  nega- 
tive. In  this  way  valuable  subjects  may  be  saved  and 
shown  to  the  best  advantage. 

When  one  has  learned  to  make  a  fairly  good  land- 
scape picture,  it  is  time  to  begin  on  the  easier  sort  of 
bird-subjects.  The  best  for  first  attempts,  if  the 
season  is  right,  are  the  nests  of  birds.  The  sort  of 
a  bird's-nest  picture  often  produced  by  the  beginner 
is  the  puzzle-picture,  where  one  has  to  hunt  for  the 
semblance  of  a  tiny  nest  in  a  mass  of  foliage,  in  all 
of  which  there  is  probably  little  detail,  only  staring 
black  and  white,  caused  by  under-exposure,  bad  light- 
ing, and  poor  choice  of  position. 

Perhaps  the  best  way  to  explain  what  to  do  is  by 
a  concrete  case.  Late  one  cloudy  afternoon  in  June 
I  was  walking  through  a  patch  of  woods  on  a  side 
hill  up  from  a  road  when  I  flushed  a  veery,  or  Wil- 
son's thrush,  from  the  ground  just  ahead  of  me  and 
found  its  nest  with  four  plain  blue  eggs,  which  I  pro- 
ceeded to  photograph.  It  was  located  very  prettily 
among  some  plantains  and  other  weeds,  with  taller 
undergrowth  arching  over  it.  The  latter  I  bent  back 
temporarily  out  of  the  way. 

Choosing  a  position  from  which  the  nest  and  eggs 
were  in  full  view,  with  the  foliage  conveniently  and 
prettily  disposed,  taking  pains  to  disturb  the  sur- 


1 86  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

roundings  just  as  little  as  possible,  I  set  the  camera 
on  the  tripod  so  that  the  lens  would  be  about  a  yard 
away,  as  I  remember  it,  from  the  nest,  pointing  down 
at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees.  This  would 
be  difficult  to  manage  without  the  "  goose-neck  "  de- 
vice described  in  the  preceding  chapter,  and  I  used  it. 
Then  I  focused  sharply  and  got  the  nest  about  in  the 
center  of  the  picture,  a  little  nearer  the  bottom,  yet 
not  so  near  but  that  there  would  be  some  foreground. 
Next  the  aperture  of  the  lens  was  stopped  down  to 
about  F30. 

The  nest  was  wholly  in  the  shade,  which  was 
proper.  Had  it  been  in  direct  sunlight,  it  would 
have  been  necessary  to  shade  it  by  stretching  out  a 
coat  or  focus-cloth  over  it.  The  photographic  effect 
of  a  nest  in  glaring  sunlight  is  very  bad.  The  eggs, 
no  matter  what  their  color,  will  print  staring  white 
where  the  light  strikes,  and  black  on  their  shaded 
sides,  and,  if  spotted  or  marked,  the  markings  will 
not  show.  This  is  particularly  true  if  a  snapshot 
should  be  attempted.  Even  worse  is  a  patchy  light, 
when  the  subject  is  partly  illuminated  and  partly  in 
the  shade. 

The  next  thing  is  to  decide  upon  the  proper  time 
of  exposure.  A  rough  estimate  would  be  something 
like  this.  In  a  fairly  bright,  diffused  light,  yet  not 
in  direct  sunshine,  at  a  moderate  distance,  with  lens 
wide  open,  about  one  second  would  probably  be  right, 
with  green  foliage  surrounding,  which  makes  the  light 
somewhat  non-actinic.  Half  that  or  less  would  do 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     187 

with  little  or  no  green  or  yellow  near.  At  such  close 
range  as  a  yard  the  bellows  must  be  racked  out,  which 
diminishes  the  illumination,  so  we  will  call  the  time 
two  seconds.  But  the  lens  should  be  stopped  down. 
Of  the  lens  which  I  used,  ¥7%  was  the  scale- value 
wide  open.  Halving  the  aperture  quadruples  the 
time  of  exposure.  Fi5  is  half  of  Fy^,  so  at  that 
stop  the  time  would  be  eight  seconds,  and  at  F3O  it 
would  be  thirty-two  seconds,  or  half  a  minute. 

In  this  case,  however,  it  was  almost  evening,  heav- 
ily clouded,  under  trees  and  bushes,  and  very  dark. 
So  at  a  rough  guess  I  multiplied  the  time  again  by 
four,  making  it  two  minutes,  which  proved  to  be 
just  right.  Stopping  the  lens  down  brought  practi- 
cally all  the  foliage  into  focus,  as  it  would  not  have 
been  at  full  opening,  besides  giving  more  perfect  de- 
tail. When  there  is  wind  and  the  leaves  move,  it 
may  be  necessary  to  make  some  sacrifice  of  definition 
and  use  a  larger  aperture,  not  larger,  however,  than 
Fi6.  The  subject  can  be  shielded  somewhat  from 
the  breeze  by  holding  a  coat  to  windward,  or  else  we 
can  wait  for  a  lull,  or  come  at  a  more  favorable  time. 

Within  a  few  days  the  eggs  hatch,  and  this  intro- 
duces us  to  the  work  which  naturally  comes  next  in 
order,  the  photographing  of  young  birds.  The 
young  of  precocious  tribes,  as  the  gallinacious  birds, 
shore-birds,  ducks,  and  geese,  are  born  clothed  and 
able  to  run  or  swim,  but  those  of  the  ordinary  small 
birds  are  naked  and  ugly  at  first.  They  grow  rap- 
idly, however,  and  by  about  the  tenth  day  are  able  to 


i88  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

leave  the  nest.  About  seven  or  eight  days  old  is  a 
good  age  to  photograph  them,  before  they  are  quite 
old  enough  to  flutter  away,  and  yet  are  nearly  fledged. 

The  problem  now  is  quite  a  different  one.  There 
can  be  no  long  exposures,  for  the  young  are  in  almost 
constant  motion.  The  camera  should  be  set  as  be- 
fore, focused  on  the  nest,  the  diaphragm  wide  open, 
and  the  shutter  set  for  the  briefest  exposure  consistent 
with  the  amount  of  light.  It  may  be  possible  to  pho- 
tograph them  in  light  shade  by  watching  for  an  in- 
stant of  stillness,  and  squeezing  the  bulb  at  the  op- 
portune time  for  an  exposure  of  a  quarter  or  half  a 
second.  Otherwise  one  must  temporarily  bend  back 
the  foliage  and  let  in  the  direct  sunlight,  when  every- 
thing is  ready  for  the  exposure,  which  should  be  **  in- 
stantaneous," the  shutter  set  at  perhaps  one-fiftieth  of 
a  second. 

Besides  photographing  the  young  in  the  nest,  one 
can  secure  portraits  of  them  by  posing  them  on  a 
branch  in  bright  light  close  before  the  camera,  using 
the  most  rapid  exposure.  Do  not  keep  them  long 
in  the  hot  sun.  When  they  are  about  old  enough  to 
leave  the  nest,  they  will  flutter  out  at  the  least  alarm, 
and  it  is  very  hard  to  make  them  stay  on  a  branch,  so 
it  is  well  to  do  this  before  they  reach  the  age  of  wild- 
ness.  If  they  must  be  photographed  at  this  stage, 
there  is  no  harm  in  tethering  the  youngsters  with  soft 
thread,  tying  a  knot  that  will  not  tighten  and  bind 
the  ankle  as  a  slip-noose  would.  When  returned  to 
the  nest,  hold  something  over  them  for  awhile  till  they 


Young  Phoebes. 


Song  Sparrow  finally  caught  leaving  nest. 


1.102 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA      189 

get  over  their  alarm,  else  they  will  immediately  flut- 
ter out. 

Often  one  will  come  across  a  youngster  out  of  the 
nest,  able  to  fly  just  a  little.  If  possible  photograph 
it  as  first  found,  without  disturbing  it,  for  then  it  will 
often  stand  perfectly  still,  whereas  if  it  is  handled 
there  will  ensue  a  constant  struggle  to  escape  and  it 
is  a  hard  task  to  photograph  it.  If  tethered  it  will 
make  repeated  efforts  to  get  away,  but  at  length,  tir- 
ing, it  will  remain  still. 

The  finding  of  nests  gives  the  best  of  opportuni- 
ties for  photographing  adult  birds.  Some  few  birds 
while  incubating  are  so  tame  that  they  will  remain 
on  the  nest  and  let  us  photograph  them  at  will.  The 
woodcock  is  the  best  subject  of  this  sort.  The 
mother  bird  will  sit  like  a  rock,  and  even  let  one 
handle  her.  Some  small  birds  will  remain  if  one  ap- 
proaches very  slowly  and  silently,  making  no  quick 
motion.  Thus,  for  instance,  I  have  photographed 
the  red-eyed  and  white-eyed  vireos,  wood  thrush, 
chippy,  chestnut-sided  warbler,  cuckoo,  rose-breasted 
grosbeak,  and  others.  Generally  one  must  use  the 
single  lens,  to  get  the  picture  from  farther  away,  as 
the  bird  will  seldom  let  one  get  very  close.  Even 
thus  the  picture  usually  needs  enlargement.  Here 
one  could  use  the  telephoto,  but  amid  foliage  it  is 
hard  to  see  through  it  to  focus,  and  it  lacks  depth  of 
focus,  unless  considerably  stopped  down,  when  it  is 
very  slow. 

Ordinarily  it  is  necessary  to  leave  the  camera  set 


1 90  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

and  retire  into  hiding,  releasing  the  shutter  by  a 
thread  when  the  bird  comes  back  to  the  nest.  Be 
sure  to  have  a  shutter  adapted  to  thread  release,  with 
a  small  lever  to  pull  down  and  a  hole  in  it  for  the 
thread.  Exposure  by  thread  is  better  than  by  pneu- 
matic tube,  which  last  arrangement  introduces  all 
manner  of  troubles,  too  numerous  to  describe. 
There  is  no  trouble  about  the  thread  tangling,  if 
one  will  take  reasonable  pains  to  lay  it  out  properly. 
In  making  the  exposure  be  sure  not  to  jerk  the 
thread,  but  give  a  steady,  gentle  pull. 

Most  birds  are  afraid  of  a  camera  set  near  the 
nest,  and  some  will  not  go  near  it  at  all.  But  most 
of  them  will  return  before  long,  if  the  instrument  is 
properly  disguised.  I  carry  with  me  dull  green  and 
brown  hoods  of  thin  cambric  with  which  I  can  en- 
tirely cover  the  camera,  with  a  hole  cut  in  each  to 
fit  tightly  around  the  lens-tube.  In  addition  to  this 
I  deck  the  camera  with  leaves  or  grass,  and  in  like 
manner  conceal  the  tripod.  Where  it  is  feasible,  I 
avoid  using  the  tripod  by  employing  the  tree-appara- 
tus, screwing  the  camera  to  a  branch  or  tree-trunk. 
Where  the  bird  is  shy,  use  the  single  lens  and  thus 
have  the  camera  farther  away.  If  the  bird  is  to  be 
taken  before  she  enters  the  nest,  the  exposure  must 
be  a  rapid  one,  in  full  sunlight. 

Most  plates  are  hardly  sensitive  enough  for  in- 
stantaneous exposures  with  the  single  lens  amid  green 
foliage.  But  when  the  bird  settles  down  to  incu- 
bate or  brood,  she  will  often  keep  still  during  a  timed 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     191 

exposure,  though  she  is  liable  to  flush  at  the  sound 
of  the  shutter.  If  the  nest  is  in  the  shade,  wait  till 
the  bird  has  become  perfectly  quiet,  and  have  the 
shutter  previously  set  for  a  timed  exposure.  Most 
cameras  do  not  have  a  shutter-movement  of  more 
than  one  second  duration.  If  I  wish  a  prolonged  ex- 
posure, I  set  the  shutter  at  B,  or  "  bulb-release,"  and 
then,  steadily  pulling  the  thread,  hold  it  taut,  which 
will  keep  the  shutter  open  until  let  go. 

When  birds  are  feeding  young  in  the  nest  they 
afford  the  best  opportunities  for  interesting  pictures. 
At  this  time  they  are  more  willing  to  approach  the 
camera  than  at  any  other.  Their  movements  are 
very  quick,  so  the  exposure  must  be  rapid  and  in 
bright  light.  This  involves  often  the  temporary 
opening  up  of  the  nest  to  the  sunlight,  and  it  should 
not  be  done  at  a  scorching  hot  time,  particularly 
if  the  young  are  featherless.  Better  not  get  the  pic- 
ture than  to  inflict  suffering.  Wait  till  the  young  are 
becoming  fledged,  and  select  a  time  when  the  tem- 
perature in  the  sun  is  comfortable.  In  hot  weather 
do  it  early  or  late  in  the  day,  and  do  not  keep  at  it 
too  long.  When  the  sun  is  low,  the  interior  of  the 
nest  may  be  in  shadow,  and  the  young  will  be  shaded 
till  they  rise  up  to  feed,  or  sometimes  one  leaf  will 
shade  the  young,  while  on  the  branch  where  the 
parents  will  come  the  light  may  be  good. 

When  the  young  are  seven  or  eight  days  old  is  a 
good  time  to  pose  them  on  a  branch  before  the  cam- 
era and  take  the  parents  in  the  act  of  feeding  them. 


1 92  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

Not  all  birds  by  any  means  will  return  under  these 
circumstances.  Many  kinds  I  have  not  tried  to  see 
whether  they  will  or  not.  Some  warblers  and  spar- 
rows, for  instance,  make  good  subjects,  and  some  in- 
dividuals of  the  same  species  are  better  than  others. 
These  feeding  scenes  often  prove  very  comical, —  the 
parent  lugging  a  fat  worm  or  shoving  it  down  the 
throat  of  a  struggling  youngster.  Some  birds  are  so 
intent  upon  feeding  their  offspring  that  they  pay  no 
attention  to  the  camera,  even  when  it  is  not  concealed 
in  any  way  and  stands  within  two  feet  of  them.  Yet 
it  is  well  to  make  matters  easier  by  concealing  it  all 
we  can. 

The  photographing  of  birds  or  their  nests  in  trees 
is  almost  a  department  of  the  sport  by  itself,  es- 
pecially if  the  camera-hunter  must  make  a  difficult 
climb.  Certain  classes  of  birds,  such  as  large  hawks, 
owls,  crows  and  herons,  usually  choose  lofty  situa- 
tions, often  hard  to  reach.  One  needs  a  pair  of 
climbing-irons  for  this  work,  and  good  training  in  the 
use  of  them.  It  is  a  good  rule  not  to  ascend  difficult 
trees  in  the  woods  alone.  When  there  is  good  hold- 
ing, or  the  climb  is  easy,  I  often  do  it  alone,  but  not 
when  there  is  any  danger.  Better  come  again  with 
help,  or  even  wait  for  another  subject,  than  be  fool- 
hardy. At  the  best  it  needs  care  and  coolness  to 
cling  to  a  lofty  perch  and  manipulate  the  camera. 
Some  nests,  particularly  of  small  birds,  are  built  near 
the  extremities  of  slender  branches  and  are  inaccessi- 
ble. 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     193 

Suppose  we  take  a  typical  instance  of  the  use  of 
the  tree-apparatus,  which  may  best  show  how  to 
work  with  it.  I  found  a  broad-winged  hawk  occu- 
pying the  last  year's  nest  of  the  Cooper's  hawk,  lo- 
cated in  a  hemlock  tree,  forty  feet  from  the  ground. 
Ascending,  I  found  that  it  contained  two  handsomely 
marked  eggs,  the  full  set.  Had  the  tree  been  an 
oak,  with  spreading  forks,  I  could  have  rigged  the 
camera  in  the  same  tree,  preferably  about  six  feet 
away,  as  these  nests  are  large  platforms  of  sticks,  big 
enough  to  more  than  fill  the  plate  unless  one  can  get 
well  off.  In  the  hemlock,  though,  one  must  stay  by 
the  main  trunk,  and  a  picture  of  the  nest  from 
directly  above  is  very  unsatisfactory.  So  I  climbed 
the  next  tree,  about  six  feet  away,  and,  tying  up  the 
focus-cloth  on  the  farther  side  of  it,  on  a  level  with 
the  nest,  left  it  for  a  day  or  two,  that  the  shy  bird 
might  become  accustomed  to  the  strange  article. 
When  I  returned  she  was  on  the  nest,  showing  that 
she  was  ready  to  be  photographed. 

The  next  thing  to  do  was  to  screw  the  bolt  into 
the  trunk  of  the  tree  on  which  I  had  left  the  cloth, 
a  little  above  the  level  of  the  nest  and  at  right  angles 
to  it,  the  padded  end  of  the  shank  away  from  the 
nest,  but  so  that  this  arm  would  point  directly  at  it. 
Then  I  clamped  the  camera  to  the  pad,  aiming  it  at 
the  nest  and  allowing  the  front  end  to  rest  upon  the 
front  shank  or  arm  of  the  bolt.  Having  aimed  and 
focused,  I  tied  the  camera  in  that  position  with  a 
cord  so  it  could  not  budge  and  inserted  the  plate- 


194  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

holder.  Instead  of  simply  photographing  the  nest 
and  eggs,  my  plan  was  to  have  the  old  bird  in  the 
picture  as  well.  So  I  tied  my  thread  to  the  shutter, 
and  dropped  the  spool  to  the  ground.  Then  I  re- 
moved the  slide  from  the  plate,  and  covered  the  cam- 
era with  the  dull  green  cloth,  decking  it  further  with 
sprays  of  green  hemlock. 

Last  of  all,  making  sure  that  the  lens  was  not  cov- 
ered, I  set  the  shutter  for  an  exposure  of  one-half 
second,  at  full  aperture,  as  the  nest  was  in  light  shade, 
and  in  the  descent  was  careful  not  to  touch  the 
thread  and  spring  the  shutter.  Finding  the  spool,  I 
passed  the  thread  behind  a  small  branch,  so  that  the 
pull  on  the  shutter  would  be  directly  downward,  and 
laid  out  the  thread  carefully  for  about  a  gunshot  to 
my  umbrella-tent,  which  I  had  previously  pitched  be- 
fore approaching  the  nest.  I  put  the  spool  in 
through  the  peek-hole,  then  tramped  noisily  out  of 
the  woods,  and  presently  sneaked  back  quietly  into 
the  tent 

For  half  an  hour  or  more  all  was  silent.  Then 
the  hawk  began  to  scream  and  fly  around,  inspecting 
the  new  situation.  Finally  she  alighted  on  the  edge 
of  her  nest,  and  stood  there  motionless,  looking  and 
listening.  This  was  my  opportunity,  and  gradually, 
without  jerking,  I  pulled  the  thread  taut.  The 
hawk  was  not  alarmed  at  the  slight  grating  of  the 
shutter,  though  she  turned  her  head  after  it  had 
closed,  and  entered  the  nest.  I  let  her  stay  there 
awhile  to  become  confident,  and  then  flushed  her  by 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     195 

climbing  to  change  the  plate.  Next  time  she  did  not 
stay  away  so  long,  and  I  photographed  her  carrying 
a  strip  of  bark  to  line  the  nest,  and  again  when  she 
had  settled  down  to  incubate.  Then  she  seemed 
alarmed  at  my  frequent  appearance,  so  I  withdrew, 
leaving  the  cloth  there  so  that  I  might  try  again  if 
the  plates  should  not  turn  out  to  be  good,  which, 
fortunately,  was  unnecessary. 

The  above  instance  may  suggest  the  general 
method  of  procedure  in  "  tree-work."  Yet  in  this 
and  every  other  department  of  study  and  sport  one 
must  be  fertile  of  resource  in  devising  expedients  to 
meet  the  new  situations  which  the  birds  will  often 
furnish  us  and  which  are  above  all  rules.  The  fol- 
lowing is  such  an  instance:  I  was  wading  through 
an  area  of  reeds  growing  from  the  water  near  the 
shore  of  a  large  lake  in  Saskatchewan,  northwest 
Canada,  finding  nests  of  canvasback,  redhead,  eared 
grebe,  coot,  and  other  interesting  birds,  when  I  heard 
quite  near  me  a  most  singular  series  of  hissing  and 
grunting  sounds.  Going  closer,  I  saw  an  American, 
bittern  on  her  nest,  her  feathers  all  bristled  out,  scold- 
ing at  me.  The  nest  was  a  rude  pile  of  stems,  raised 
just  above  the  water  amid  a  thicket  of  reeds. 

I  had  previously  found  many  a  nest  of  the  bittern, 
but  never  a  bittern  that  would  stay  on  the  nest  when 
discovered.  The  bird  was  nearly  hidden,  but  I  set 
up  the  camera  on  the  tripod,  stopped  down  the  lens, 
and  got  some  pictures  showing  her  among  the  reeds. 
But  if  those  reeds  were  only  out  of  the  way  I  I 


196  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

thought  I  would  see  what  I  could  do,  so  very  slowly 
indeed,  raising  the  front  leg  of  the  tripod,  I  bent 
one  reed  aside.  This  did  not  alarm  the  bird,  so  I 
got  rid  of  another,  and  another.  Finally  I  moved 
one  that  was  almost  touching  the  bird's  bill,  and  she 
actually  pecked  the  tripod. 

It  took  a  long  time,  but  I  finally  had  her  clear  in 
the  open,  and  took  all  the  pictures  I  wanted,  even 
waiting  for  clouds  to  pass  before  the  sun,  so  as  to 
secure  soft  detail.  Nothing  of  the  kind  had  ever 
happened  to  me  before,  and  probably  never  will 
again,  so  it  was  a  case  of  working  without  rule  or 
precedent  to  guide.  Method  is  but  the  means  to 
an  end;  the  main  thing  is  to  get  the  pictures. 

As  to  the  use  of  the  hiding-tent,  there  are  a  few 
further  suggestions  to  make.  If  feasible,  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  pitch  it  in  the  evening,  as  in  the  growing 
darkness  the  birds  more  readily  become  accustomed 
to  it,  and  in  the  morning  there  will  be  little  waiting 
after  the  photographer  enters.  Unless  one  can  steal 
in  unobserved,  it  is  best  to  have  a  companion  go  with 
one  to  the  tent  and  leave  it  boldly  in  sight  of  the 
birds.  Our  feathered  friends  may  be  wise  in  a  way, 
but  they  do  not  know  much  about  counting. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  great  blue  heron  is  one 
of  the  shyest  of  birds.  In  a  strip  of  low  trees  along 
a  stream  in  Saskatchewan  a  small  colony  of  them 
had  built  nests.  They  were  so  wary  that,  as  a  friend 
and  I  approached  over  the  prairie,  they  stood  erect 
on  their  nests  when  we  were  nearly  half  a  mile  away, 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     197 

and  flew  off  long  before  we  were  anywhere  near  them. 
We  pitched  the  tent  in  a  clump  of  bushes,  decking 
it  with  foliage,  and  my  companion  departed,  leaving 
me  hidden.  No  sooner  had  he  withdrawn  than  back 
came  the  herons,  alighting  on  their  nests,  and  for  two 
hours  I  had  the  opportunity  of  my  life  to  photo- 
graph the  splendid  birds  in  all  their  interesting  poses. 

While  working  in  the  tent  it  is  necessary  with  some 
birds,  particularly  with  herons,  to  guard  against 
their  seeing  any  movement  inside.  To  this  end  I 
pin  a  cloth  before  the  peek-hole,  through  a  small 
slit  of  which  the  lens  tube  fits  tightly.  In  this  way 
the  bird  cannot  see  the  hand  setting  the  shutter. 
Even  the  lens  must  be  moved  very  deliberately,  and 
one  must  avoid  any  rustling  or  the  cracking  of  twigs 
underfoot.  Gulls  and  terns,  on  the  contrary,  do  not 
ordinarily  become  alarmed  by  seeing  one  at  the  peek- 
hole,  and  they  are  not  so  sensitive  to  noise.  With 
them  one  may  sometimes  use  the  reflecting  camera  in 
the  tent,  the  shutter  of  which  is  altogether  too  noisy 
to  use  on  herons.  The  slight  sound  made  by  the 
shutter  which  I  use  on  my  small  ordinary  camera  sel- 
dom startles  a  bird  by  the  tent. 

The  experience  of  being  in  the  midst  of  a  colony, 
with  a  crowd  of  birds  close  around  one,  is  wonder- 
fully interesting.  It  seems  as  though  one  were  a 
bird  oneself,  accepted  as  a  member  of  bird-society, 
and  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  the  whole  thing  is  not 
a  dream.  This  was  my  feeling  in  the  midst  of  a 
great  colony  of  some  two  thousand  pairs  of  black- 


i98  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

crowned  night  herons.  They  were  nesting  in  low 
oak  trees  in  a  strip  of  woods.  Late  one  afternoon  I 
planted  the  tent  in  a  favorable  spot  surrounded  by 
nests.  Next  morning  when  I  appeared  suddenly  in 
the  rookery  there  was  a  perfect  roar  of  wings  as  the 
great  birds  departed.  Before  they  had  time  to  circle 
back  I  was  concealed  in  the  tent,  and  the  birds,  see- 
ing that  I  had  disappeared,  soon  returned  to  their 
nests.  Some  incubated,  while  their  mates  perched 
close  by,  dozing  or  preening  their  feathers.  It  was 
fascinating  to  sit  and  watch,  studying  and  photo- 
graphing their  beautiful  and  perfectly  natural  poses. 
Those  who  have  affirmed  that  photographs  of  birds 
do  not  show  them  as  they  are  in  ordinary  life  were 
not  acquainted  with  these  up-to-date  methods. 

On  this  occasion  I  had  very  good  success  with  the 
telephoto  lens,  picking  out  individual  birds  here  and 
there,  and  securing  images  large  enough  to  fill  the 
plate  comfortably,  so  I  will  further  describe  its  use. 
At  best  it  is  a  difficult  instrument  to  manage.  Owing 
to  the  bellows  being  racked  out  so  far,  with  the 
heavy  mounting  clear  in  front,  it  is  very  difficult  to 
prevent  vibration,  and  also  to  see  accurately  to  focus 
when  the  light  is  not  very  strong.  To  avoid  vibra- 
tion, I  generally  cut  a  stick  and  prop  up  the  lens. 
Even  then,  if  the  wind  is  blowing,  there  is  liable  to 
be  movement.  Its  best  use  is  from  inside  the  tent, 
where  everything  is  still,  and  where,  removed  from 
the  sun's  glare,  it  is  easier  to  focus. 

If  the  subject  will  allow  it,  the  lens  should  be 


USING  THE  ORDINARY  CAMERA     199 

stopped  down  to  about  Fi6,  to  secure  sharp  defini- 
tion. The  exposure  must  ordinarily  be  about  one 
half-second  in  strong  light,  even  with  the  lens  at 
full  aperture,  and  more  under  less  favorable  condi- 
tions. Hence  the  bird  is  quite  liable  to  move  and 
spoil  the  picture.  In  fact  the  difficulties  are  so  great 
that  I  generally  prefer  to  secure  as  large  an  image  as 
possible  with  the  single  number  of  the  large  doublet, 
and  do  my  enlarging  carefully  at  home.  In  this 
way  I  get  just  as  large  a  picture  in  the  end,  and 
usually  a  better  one.  However,  in  cases  when  it  is 
impossible  to  get  anywhere  near  certain  game,  such 
as  water-birds  out  on  mud-flats,  where  the  image 
even  with  the  single  lens  would  be  too  small  to  en- 
large, the  telephoto  is  useful,  and  by  careful  focus- 
ing one  may  even  secure  a  telephoto  picture  capable 
of  being  still  further  enlarged  at  home. 

There  are  also  some  other  ways  in  which  birds 
may  be  photographed  by  the  ordinary  camera.  From 
a  blind  on  the  shore  one  may  catch  shore  or  water- 
birds  which  come  along,  perhaps  attracted  by  decoys, 
or  simply  feeding  along  the  margin.  A  fruitful 
source  of  pictures  in  winter  is  to  hang  up  suet  or  put 
out  seeds,  crumbs,  or  nuts  in  a  spot  which  birds  tend 
to  visit,  and  leave  the  disguised  camera  focused  upon 
the  bait.  A  thread  connecting  with  the  shutter 
should  enter  the  house  through  a  keyhole  or  under  a 
window,  ready  to  be  pulled  when  a  bird  comes  to 
feed.  Birds  which  are  liable  to  come  are  the  chick- 
adee, nuthatch,  downy  and  hairy  woodpeckers, 


200  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

junco,  tree  sparrow,  blue  jay,  and  perhaps  others  that 
I  have  overlooked. 

When  it  comes  to  snapshot  work,  by  following 
birds  up  with  the  camera  in  hand,  the  ordinary  cam- 
era may  sometimes  be  successfully  used  in  an  emer- 
gency by  estimating  the  distance  and  using  the  scale 
for  focus,  and  the  little  finder.  But  for  this  work 
the  only  satisfactory  instrument  is  the  reflecting  cam- 
era, the  use  of  which  will  now  be  explained. 


SHOOTING  WITH  THE  REFLECTING 
CAMERA 


CHAPTER  XV 

SHOOTING  WITH  THE  REFLECTING 
CAMERA 

THE  reflecting  camera  is  a  crowning  triumph 
of  inventive  skill  which  greatly  enlarges 
the  possibilities  of  hunting  with  the  camera. 
The  great  need  is  to  be  able  to  focus  with  speed  and 
certainty  on  live  game  with  the  camera  in  hand,  and 
to  be  able  to  make  a  sufficiently  rapid  exposure  to 
catch  it  sharply,  despite  any  sort  of  movement.  All 
this  is  realized  in  the  modern  reflecting  camera,  whose 
predecessor  was  a  twin-lens  or  double  camera,  cum- 
bersome and  disappointing.  In  this  new  device  there 
is  a  mirror  arrangement  by  which  one  can  see  the  im- 
age of  the  game,  full  size  and  right  side  up,  until 
the  instant  of  exposure.  By  means  of  a  curtain  or 
"  focal-plane  "  shutter  at  the  back  of  the  camera,  just 
in  front  of  the  plate,  one  can  secure  a  fully  timed  ex- 
posure, in  bright  light,  in  an  interval  of  one  one-thou- 
sandth of  a  second,  or  even  less.  With  this  a  bird 
can  be  photographed  in  the  most  rapid  flight,  flutter- 
ing, running,  or  in  any  activity. 

The  first  camera  of  this  sort  to  be  made  was  the 
"  Reflex  "  camera.     The  Graflex  followed  with  im- 
provements, notably  in  being  able  to  arrange  the  cur- 
203 


204  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

tain-shutter  from  the  outside,  which  were  matched 
in  the  new  long-focus  Reflex.  Both  are  excellent  in- 
struments, though  of  necessity  rather  heavy  and  high 
in  price.  The  Naturalist's  Graflex,  4x5  size,  costs 
$190  without  lens,  and  the  corresponding  Reflex 
model  $100.  I  am  still  using  an  old  model  5x7  long- 
focus  Reflex  camera  which  is  about  the  weight  of 
the  4x5  styles  of  both  of  the  above,  enabling  me  to 
use  the  larger  plates  when  I  need  to  for  special  work, 
though  I  use  mostly  the  4x5  plates  in  "  kits  "  or 
frames  inserted  in  the  plate-holder. 

For  a  long  time  I  have  been  looking  for  a  cheap, 
long-focus  reflecting  camera  which  I  could  recom- 
mend to  young  people  and  to  those  who  cannot  af- 
ford the  expensive  instruments.  The  nearest  ap- 
proach to  my  ideal  which  thus  far  I  have  been  able  to 
discover  is  a  reflecting  instrument  made  by  the  Hall 
Camera  Co.,  of  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  The  price  for  the 
4x5~inch  size  is  $30  —  without  lens,  a  remarkable 
drop  in  price.  The  maximum  focal  length  at  pres- 
ent is  12%  inches,  which  is  not  quite  enough  to  al- 
low the  use  of  a  single  member  of  the  doublet.  How- 
ever, it  can  employ  a  5x7  doublet,  which  makes  it 
practicable  for  much  work  without  using  the  single 
lens. 

The  firm  think  that  at  an  additional  charge  of  not 
over  $5  they  can  provide  a  cone-extension  arrange- 
ment which  will  add  several  inches,  and  they  are 
working  on  a  model  of  longer  focus.  The  camera  is 
comparatively  light,  weighing  hardly  six  pounds.  It 


Kittiwako  nesting  on  cliff.  Groat  15ml  TJook.     Photographed  frorn 
"The  Crate." 


Sooty   Tern   incubating,    Florida    Keys.      IMiotojjni plied   without 


THE  REFLECTING  CAMERA       205, 

begins  to  look  as  though  the  long-focus  reflecting 
camera  were  at  last  coming  within  the  reach  of  the 
many. 

It  might  be  feared  that  the  very  rapid  exposures 
of  which  the  curtain  shutter  is  capable  would  not 
have  been  sufficient  to  allow  of  successful  develop- 
ment. Such  fear  is  groundless,  for,  though  the  ex- 
posure is  indeed  brief,  while  it  lasts  it  is  at  full 
opening  throughout,  instead  of  for  a  small  fraction 
of  the  exposure  as  with  the  shutters  used  at  the  lens, 
which  must  gradually  open  and  close.  In  exposures 
in  open  sunshine,  over  water,  or  alongshore,  the  light 
is  so  bright  that  with  a  slit  in  the  curtain  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  wide  and  the  spring  wound  to  full  ten- 
sion, representing  one  one-thousandth  of  a  second 
exposure,  by  using  strong  metol-hydro,  or  edinol- 
hydro  developer,  I  secure  full-timed  negatives.  Un- 
der ordinary  conditions  of  sunshine,  if  the  picture  is 
to  be  of  a  bird  flying  with  moderate  rapidity,  I  sug- 
gest an  opening  in  the  curtain  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch. 
If  the  bird  is  a  slow  flier,  like  the  gull,  the  tension 
of  the  spring  may  be  relaxed  somewhat.  The  lens, 
of  course,  is  always  to  be  used  wide  open  for  all  this 
snapshot  work. 

At  this  aperture,  in  the  case  of  birds  flying  against 
the  sky  or  over  the  water  the  single  lens  may  often 
be  used  effectually,  thus  securing  twice  as  large  an 
image  of  the  game  as  with  the  doublet.  Flight  pic- 
tures of  birds  against  dark  backgrounds  should  only 
be  tried  with  the  doublet.  When  the  bird  is  at  rest, 


206  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

the  single  lens  may  be  used,  with  a  curtain-opening  of 
about  an  inch  and  with  only  a  slight  tension  of  the 
curtain-spring.  This  is  about  the  right  speed  for  a 
landscape  picture,  with  the  doublet,  especially  if  there 
be  green  grass  or  foliage. 

The  above  will  serve  as  a  suggestion  for  those 
who  are  beginning  to  hunt  with  the  reflecting  camera, 
but  it  is  best,  as  soon  as  possible,  to  become  thor- 
oughly familiar  by  experience  with  one's  own  instru- 
ment. The  tension  of  the  spring  will  vary,  tending 
to  grow  weaker  as  time  elapses,  and  the  speed  of 
lenses  is  different.  When  one  has  learned  by  ex- 
perience what  his  own  camera  under  differing  condi- 
tions will  do,  he  will  seldom  make  a  mistake  and  will 
secure  a  high  percentage  of  successful  exposures. 

The  first  thing  that  one  will  probably  try  to  do 
with  the  reflecting  camera  is  to  attempt  to  walk  up 
to  birds  and  snap  them  before  they  fly.  Even  with 
a  large  single  lens  most  birds  will  not  wait  for  one 
to  approach  near  enough  to  secure  an  appreciably 
large  image.  Yet  there  will  be  opportunities.  Birds 
near  their  nests  will  sometimes  boldly  berate  the  in- 
truder and  give  him  some  good  shots.  The  king- 
bird is  usually  a  good  subject  in  this  way,  and  so  at 
times  are  the  robin,  catbird,  brown  thrasher,  blue  jay, 
and  others.  Yet  individuals  vary  in  disposition,  and 
of  the  same  species  some  will  be  shy,  others  bold. 

During  the  spring  and  summer  especially,  if  one 
will  wander  around  with  the  reflecting  camera  ready, 
various  opportunities  present  themselves.  A  robin 


THE  REFLECTING  CAMERA       207 

alights  on  a  fence-post  nearby,  and  various  birds  are 
always  liable  to  come  upon  one  suddenly,  or  we  upon 
them.  A  few  days  before  this  writing  I  was  stand- 
ing in  the  road  watching  some  migrant  warblers,  in 
October,  when  suddenly  a  Cooper's  hawk  flew  up 
over  the  brow  of  a  hill,  and,  not  noticing  me,  alighted 
on  an  open  limb  a  dozen  feet  from  me.  If  I  had 
been  carrying  a  camera  and  had  had  it  ready  for 
action,  I  had  plenty  of  time  for  a  shot  before  the  bird 
flew. 

The  warblers  in  spring  often  afford  chances,  if  one 
will  follow  them  up.  For  these  small  birds  the  sin- 
gle lens  should  be  used,  the  curtain  open  at  least  half 
an  inch  and  at  moderate  tension.  Do  not  try  the 
shot  when  the  bird  is  in  the  shade  unless  it  is  still, 
and  one  can  open  up  a  very  wide  aperture.  Ordi- 
narily it  is  best  to  watch  for  a  chance  when  it  moves 
out  into  direct  sunlight.  Winter  birds,  though  com- 
paratively scarce,  are  apt  to  be  rather  tame  and  per- 
mit quite  near  approach.  I  have  photographed  pine 
grosbeaks  by  walking  right  up  to  them,  and  also  the 
birds  which  come  to  feed  at  the  "  lunch-counter." 

In  a  region  where  there  are  more  of  the  larger 
species,  especially  swimming  and  wading  birds,  some 
very  fascinating  sport  can  be  had  with  the  reflecting 
camera.  Either  we  may  try  to  sneak  up  to  them,  or 
else  we  may  hide  in  bushes  or  blind  and  let  the  birds 
themselves  approach  us.  On  the  Florida  coast  I  have 
had  good  success  with  shore-birds  by  hiding  among 
the  mangroves  conveniently  close  to  the  water's  edge 


208  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

and  letting  the  birds  feed  along  past  me.  Herons 
feed  on  the  margin,  and  can  sometimes  be  closely 
approached  under  cover,  as  can  wild  ducks.  In  these 
cases  the  shutter  should  be  prepared  for  a  rapid  ex- 
posure, in  case  the  subjects  should  take  to  wing.  The 
single  lens  may  be  used  if  the  subjects  are  to  be  on  or 
over  the  water.  Unfortunately  all  curtain  shutters 
are  rather  noisy,  and  the  first  shot  is  liable  to  frighten 
away  the  game.  Sometimes,  though,  especially  if  the 
wind  is  blowing  or  waves  are  breaking,  birds  do  not 
notice  the  sound  of  the  curtain,  and  in  this  way  I  have 
secured  shot  after  shot  at  shore-birds. 

On  certain  off-shore  fishing-grounds  very  exciting 
sport  may  be  had  at  times  by  baiting  up  the  sea-birds 
around  a  sail  or  power-boat  and  photographing  them. 
The  best  accessible  places  that  I  know  of  are  about 
five  miles  southeast  of  Chatham,  Massachusetts,  and 
about  the  same  distance  off  Cape  Sable,  Nova  Scotia. 
If  one  should  be  on  a  fishing  schooner  on  the  Georges 
or  Newfoundland  Banks  it  would  be  even  better. 
Various  ocean  birds  such  as  petrels,  shearwaters,  and 
jaegers  are  often  flying  about  searching  for  food. 
One  should  be  provided  with  fish-livers,  which  can 
be  crumbled  and  dropped  astern,  with  the  boat  under 
slow  headway.  The  birds  soon  follow  up  the  greasy 
trail,  and  there  will  be  splendid  sport  and  probably 
results  worth  while. 

One  must  not  be  discouraged  if  fog,  wind,  rough 
sea,  or  the  drawing  of  the  birds  elsewhere  after 
schools  of  fish  render  many  days'  efforts  unavailing. 


THE  REFLECTING  CAMERA        209 

The  trophies  would  become  too  common  if  everyone 
could  secure  them  without  effort.  Midwinter  is  also 
an  excellent  time  to  do  this,  for  the  auks,  guillemots, 
puffin,  kittiwake,  sea  ducks,  and  other  hardy  fowl. 
In  the  Christmas  holidays  I  have  seen  the  ocean  off 
Chatham  fairly  alive  with  these  varieties,  but  it  is 
hard  to  get  outside  the  dangerous  harbor-bar. 

In  visiting  colonies  of  water-birds,  the  reflecting 
camera  is  indispensable.  The  ordinary  shutter  is  too 
slow  for  the  fluttering  multitudes,  but  with  the  mirror 
arrangement  and  the  curtain  shutter  wonderful  results 
can  be  obtained.  In  such  resorts  one  needs  both  cam- 
eras —  the  reflecting  one  for  flight  pictures,  and  the 
other  for  studies  from  the  tent,  though  in  some  cases 
the  first  can  also  be  used  there,  if  the  birds  do  not 
mind  the  sound  of  the  curtain.  The  single  lens  will 
be  found  very  effective  for  picking  out  individual  fly- 
ing birds  from  a  flock,  or  small  groupings  of  them, 
for  wing  studies. 

It  is  somewhat  bewildering  to  watch  the  ground- 
glass  and  see  the  images  passing  and  repassing  so 
rapidly  over  its  surface.  One  should  first  look 
around  for  subjects  approaching,  then  quickly  get 
them  on  the  ground  glass,  keep  them  in  focus  as  they 
draw  near,  and  snap  the  instant  they  are  right.  To 
hesitate  is  to  be  lost.  Anticipate  their  advance  over 
the  plate  just  a  little,  yet  not  much,  for  the  curtain  is 
released  very  swiftly,  under  strong  pressure  of  the 
lever.  Still  using  the  single  lens,  we  may  walk  to- 
ward birds  alighted  or  on  their  nests  and  take  them 


210  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

so,  or  as  they  fly  up.  In  a  colony  one  needs  many 
plates.  I  find  that  I  can  use  as  many  as  sixty  in  a 
day,  under  favorable  conditions,  and  all  carefully  ex- 
posed. The  time  is  golden,  and  one  must  not  keep 
the  birds  off  their  nests  in  any  one  place  very  long, 
for,  if  the  sun  is  hot,  it  will  result  in  the  destruction 
of  all  the  eggs  and  young. 

Pictures  of  birds  in  flight  are  always  of  great  in- 
terest, and  one  should  study  every  possible  means 
of  securing  these.  Swallows  flying  to  their  nests 
make  possible  subjects,  also  chimney  swifts  entering 
or  leaving  a  chimney,  ospreys  near  their  nests,  ducks 
or  herons  flushed  in  a  marsh  or  from  the  shore,  gulls 
hovering  about  docks,  terns  over  schools  of  fish, 
shore-birds  flying  along  the  beach,  wild-fowl  flying 
over  promontories,  and  so  on.  The  more  one  studies 
to  find  opportunities,  the  more  will  various  ways  and 
means  be  thought  out.  The  artistic  possibilities  of 
this  sort  of  work  are  very  great.  One  or  more  fly- 
ing birds  in  an  attractive  combination  of  landscape, 
shore,  or  wave  may  make  a  wonderfully  effective  pic- 
ture. 

Even  when  there  are  no  birds  to  be  photographed, 
the  reflecting  camera  is  a  very  useful  instrument  to 
have.  Merely  by  looking  at  various  scenes  through 
the  large  view-finder  as  one  walks  out,  many  artistic 
possibilities  may  be  noticed,  which  otherwise  would 
pass  unrecognized.  It  is  the  instrument,  above  all 
others,  with  which  to  take  pictures  of  children,  do- 
mestic animals,  people  in  action,  sporting  or  athletic 


Bittern  on   the  beach   assuming  the  hiding  pose,  as  though 
among  rushes. 
(Telephoto.) 


Bittern  on  nest  defying  the  photographer. 


THE  REFLECTING  CAMERA        211 

events,  and  anything  of  interest  where  there  is  move- 
ment, though  it  can  also  be  used  on  the  tripod  for 
timed  exposures. 

Some  may  wonder  why  one  might  not  as  well  have 
a  reflecting  camera  only,  and  use  it  for  all  purposes. 
This  can  be  done,  though  there  are  some  drawbacks. 
For  one  thing,  the  curtain  shutter  cannot  readily  be 
released  by  string  or  thread  from  a  distance.  Yet 
one  could  obviate  this  difficulty  by  adding  a  lens  shut- 
ter. It  is  also  heavy  to  rig  up  in  trees,  and  inconven- 
iently large  to  hide  by  nests,  though  these  obstacles 
are  not  insuperable.  Often  it  would  be  conven- 
ient on  an  excursion  to  be  able  to  do  everything  with 
one  camera.  Yet  on  the  whole  it  is  better  to  have 
beside  the  reflecting  instrument  a  small,  light,  ordi- 
nary camera,  as  previously  described,  weighing  only 
a  couple  of  pounds,  using  the  same  lens  and  plate- 
holders  interchangeably  with  the  other,  so  that  both 
can  be  carried  conveniently  when  there  is  any  likeli- 
hood that  both  will  be  needed.  This  makes  a  very 
effective  battery,  complete  for  every  possible  need. 


BIRD-LOVERS'  VACATION  EXPEDITIONS 


CHAPTER  XVI 

BIRDkLOVERS'   VACATION   EXPEDITIONS 

IN  these  days  the  vacation  habit  has  become  well- 
nigh  universal.  Nearly  everyone  plans,  if  it  is 
a  possible  thing,  each  year  to  take  a  vacation 
trip  away  from  home.  The  gunner  is  off  to  distant 
woods,  the  fisherman  to  long-desired  waters.  But  a 
great  many  people  simply  make  a  trip  to  the  country 
or  the  sea-shore  with  nothing  very  definite  in  view, 
to  spend  much  of  the  time,  perhaps,  idling  on  the 
hotel  piazza.  This  may  suit  some,  but  a  vacation  is 
far  more  profitable  and  enjoyable  when  based  upon 
some  quest  which  arouses  enthusiasm  and  incites  to 
exercise  in  the  open. 

To  those  who  care  for  birds  I  commend  a  vacation 
trip  to  explore  some  new  or  interesting  locality  in 
search  of  novelties.  It  may  take  the  form  of  seeking 
the  haunts  of  some  particular  species  or  classes  of 
birds  which  have  not  yet  become  familiar,  in  order 
to  add  them  to  one's  "  repertoire."  In  conjunction 
with  this  the  camera  may  play  a  very  important  part, 
and  make  it  truly  a  hunting  trip,  with  all  the  zest  of 
the  chase  felt  by  every  true  sportsman.  To  make  a 
census  of  the  bird-fauna  of  a  little-known  region  is 
another  interesting  line  of  work,  as  is  the  working 
215 


216  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

out  of  a  detailed  study  of  some  rare  or  peculiar 
species. 

From  such  a  trip,  on  which  one  has  lived  outdoors 
with  mind  and  body  alert,  one  will  get  tenfold  more 
benefit  and  exhilaration  than  by  dawdling  about  a 
fashionable  resort.  The  more  tired  one  is,  generally 
speaking,  the  more  does  one  need  such  a  trip  as  I 
describe.  For  my  own  part  I  know  that  to  feel  the 
way  I  do  when  returning  from  a  vacation  of  this  sort 
is  worth  more  than  gold  —  to  renew  one's  youth, 
with  all  its  freshness,  vigor,  vivacity,  when  nothing  is 
too  hard  to  undertake  and  life  is  abundantly  worth 
living.  In  contrast  the  air  indoors  seems  dead,  and 
one  wants  to  throw  everything  wide  open  and  wel- 
come the  atmosphere  of  the  woods,  shore,  or  prairie. 

Of  expeditions  of  this  description  there  are 
many  sorts,  suited  to  one's  means  or  inclination.  If 
the  expense  must  be  moderate,  it  will  cost  less  to  put 
up  at  the  home  of  some  farmer  or  fisherman  in 
a  locality  rich  with  birds  than  to  board  at  some  much- 
advertised  hotel  and  will  probably  afford  better  op- 
portunities for  success.  .If  one  can  find  suitable  com- 
panions, it  is  perfectly  possible  to  try  the  tent  and 
camp  outfit,  which  is  often  the  very  best  thing  to  do 
in  a  sparsely  settled  country,  so  that  one  can  be  right 
in  the  haunts  of  the  birds  without  loss  of  time. 

Usually  the  most  interesting  time  for  an  expedition 
to  study  birds  is  in  the  nesting-season,  so  it  is  in  re- 
gard to  this  period  that  I  will  first  make  suggestions. 
Of  course  the  easiest  plan,  which  the  greater  number 


.VACATION  EXPEDITIONS          217 

will  probably  adopt,  especially  if  living  in  cities,  is 
to  choose  a  favorable  locality  in  some  bird-country 
not  far  away,  and  spend  the  vacation  period  there, 
or  perhaps  divide  the  time  between  two  places  of 
somewhat  dissimilar  fauna.  It  takes  considerable 
time,  however,  to  become  familiar  enough  with  one 
region  to  secure  good  results,  so  it  is  generally  best 
not  to  move  around  too  much,  unless  a  locality  should 
prove  really  unsuited  to  the  purpose. 

The  exact  time  of  the  trip  will  depend  upon  what 
sort  of  birds  one  wishes  to  find  nesting.  Early  June 
is  ordinarily  the  best  time  in  the  northern  half  of  the 
United  States  and  southern  Canada;  the  middle  of 
June  for  localities  far  north,  such  as  the  Magdalen 
Islands,  Newfoundland,  and  Labrador;  and  May 
for  the  Southern  States,  exact  dates  varying  accord- 
ing to  latitude.  Early  June  is  the  time  to  be  on  the 
ground  in  the  wildfowl  resorts  of  Minnesota,  North 
Dakota,  Manitoba,  and  Saskatchewan.  At  these 
times  the  bulk  of  the  birds  are  breeding.  But  if  one 
wishes  to  look  up  special  things  such  as  the  nesting 
of  the  raptorial  birds,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make 
an  earlier  trip  especially  for  them.  About  the  mid- 
dle of  May  is  a  good  time  for  the  smaller  hawks  and 
middle  of  April  for  the  large  hawks  and  all  the  owls 
except  the  great  horned,  the  average  time  for  the 
latter  being  early  March,  though  the  young  will  be 
in  the  nest  till  early  or  middle  May.  In  the  North- 
west the  middle  of  May  is  a  good  time  for  hawks  and 
owls. 


2i8  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

As  there  are  interesting  localities  for  birds  the  con- 
tinent over,  many  of  which  I  myself  have  not  visited, 
the  best  I  can  do  is  to  suggest  a  few  localities  of  spe- 
cial interest.  Less  is  known  about  the  nesting  habits 
of  the  migratory  birds  which  go  north  of  the  United 
States  than  of  most  others,  so  there  is  a  fascination  in 
following  them  to  the  north.  Many  of  the  warblers, 
thrushes,  and  others,  nest  from  the  latitude  of  north- 
ern Maine  on,  and  researches  among  northern  coni- 
fers and  bogs  are  rewarding.  The  Maritime  Prov- 
inces of  Canada  are  very  interesting  ground.  Every 
bird-lover  may  well  long  to  visit  the  famous  Bird 
Rocks  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  which  is  as  thrill- 
ing and  spectacular  a  trip  as  there  is.  Ambitious 
bird-students  may  bear  in  mind  that  the  breeding- 
habits  of  most  species  which  nest  in  the  far  north  are 
very  little  known,  and  the  greatest  prizes  are  there 
awaiting  someone.  The  great  difficulty  is  that  ice 
usually  prevents  access  till  the  nesting  is  over,  making 
it  necessary  to  endure  the  Arctic  winter  in  order  to 
be  on  hand  in  time.  But  just  imagine  the  delight  of 
finding  the  nests  of  such  birds  as  the  golden  plover  in 
the  Arctic  moss  back  from  the  shores  of  the  polar 
seal 

A  tour  among  the  prairie  lakes  of  the  interior 
Northwest,  from  North  Dakota  northward,  is  one  of 
great  delight.  A  team  and  buckboard,  tent  and  camp 
outfit  are  the  proper  equipment  for  making  this  to 
good  advantage.  The  distances  are  so  great  as  to 
make  this  imperative  to  get  to  the  water-bird  colo- 


Greater    Shearwater    and   Wilson's    Petrels,   off    Cape   Cod, 
attracted  by  throwing  out  liver. 

— pp.  163-Jf 


stones  and 'Sandpipers  on  sandy  beach. 


— P 


.165 


VACATION  EXPEDITIONS          219 

nies  and  other  wild,  interesting  localities.  The  va- 
rious protected  colonies  along  the  Atlantic  coast  are 
very  fascinating.  To  visit  them,  one  should  secure 
permission  from  the  National  Association  of  Audu- 
bon  Societies,  and  go  with  the  wardens,  who  know 
how  much  intrusion  the  birds  can  stand.  If  many 
strangers  should  undertake  to  visit  them  freely,  the 
eggs  would  be  spoiled,  and  it  might  become  neces- 
sary to  keep  everyone  off. 

On  the  coast  of  Maine  about  the  middle  of  June 
finds  all  the  birds  with  eggs,  and  middle  July  is  a 
good  time  to  see  the  young.  Late  in  that  month 
some  are  awing.  On  the  southern  coast  the  sea-birds 
nest  remarkably  late,  and  not  all  the  eggs  are  laid 
till  the  middle  of  June.  Visits  to  Florida  inland 
rookeries  are  best  made  from  Agril  to  early  May. 
The  shore-bird  migration  on  the  southern  coast  in 
April  and  May  is  of  great  interest. 

A  few  trips  at  other  times  of  the  year  may  be  sug- 
gested. Visits  in  mid-summer  to  the  haunts  of  the 
off-shore  ocean  wanderers  are  fascinating,  as  off  Chat- 
ham, Massachusetts,  or  Cape  Sable  Island,  Nova 
Scotia.  These  and  other  outlying  points  on  the 
coast  are  as  good  places  as  there  are  on  the  north 
Atlantic  coast  to  find  shore-birds.  The  latter  part 
of  August  is  perhaps  the  likeliest  time,  but  the  grow- 
ing scarcity  of  these  species  is  a  disappointing  and 
lamentable  fact.  Persecution  has  led  many  of  them 
to  migrate  past  us  out  to  sea.  The  spring  migra- 
tion, on  the  southern  coast,  when  the  birds,  in  full 


220  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

plumage,  linger  to  feed  after  crossing  the  Gulf,  af- 
fords the  best  opportunity  to  know  them.  A  vaca- 
tion by  the  sea  or  inland  waters  in  October  when  the 
wild  ducks  are  migrating  is  a  delightful  experience. 
To  watch  the  sea  ducks  in  rapidly  following  squad- 
rons flying  south  off  the  ocean -beach  before  and  dur- 
ing an  easterly  blow  is  thrilling  and  wonderful.  Op- 
portunities can  be  found  for  photographing  these 
migrants. 

When  it  comes  to  winter  trips,  the  best  opportu- 
nities are  found  south.  Wild-fowl  in  immense  num- 
bers resort  to  the  shallow  bays  from  Virginia 
southward.  In  Louisiana  and  Texas  are  wonderful 
resorts  for  ducks.  Florida  is  pretty  much  "  shot  out  " 
along  traveled  routes,  but  there  is  some  interesting 
bird-life  in  the  more  remote  parts.  Mexico  is  a 
treasure-house  of  winter  bird-life.  The  same  is  true 
of  localities  on  the  Pacific  coast,  but  of  these  I  can- 
not speak  from  experience. 

In  planning  these  trips,  especially  those  to  distant 
or  inaccessible  localities,  it  is  necessary  to  begin  a 
number  of  months  in  advance.  Communication  is 
very  slow,  owing  to  infrequent  mails  and  the  reluc- 
tance of  many  local  correspondents  to  submit  to  the 
ordeal  of  writing.  Often  it  takes  months  before  they 
can  be  induced  to  reply.  All  details  should  be  ar- 
ranged in  advance,  and  even  then  important  matters 
may  fall  through,  as  when  the  owner  of  a  vessel 
failed  to  keep  his  agreement  and  we  were  compelled 
to  risk  a  visit  to  Bird  Rock  in  an  open  boat. 


VACATION  EXPEDITIONS          221 

I  shall  not  attempt  any  suggestions  about  general 
outfitting  and  camping,  but  will  refer  the  reader  to 
Mr.  Kephart's  book  on  these  topics.  All  the  sugges- 
tions I  shall  offer  are  a  few  on  the  photographic  out- 
fit and  its  transportation.  On  any  extended  trip, 
the  two  cameras  and  all  the  apparatus  previously  de- 
scribed should  be  taken.  Stuff  paper  into  the  cam- 
eras, and  pack  them  in  the  trunk  or  chest  with  cloth- 
ing around  them.  The  stock  of  plates  should  be 
large  enough  for  anticipated  needs.  For  a  month's 
trip  I  usually  carry  four  or  five  hundred.  These  are 
heavy,  there  is  no  denying.  Sometimes  on  the  return 
I  send  the  exposed  plates  home  by  express.  Ordi- 
narily, however,  I  have  found  that  when  packed  in 
trunk  or  chest,  it  is  next  to  impossible  to  break  them. 
When  the  exposed  plates  are  taken  from  the  holders, 
they  should  be  packed  in  the  original  boxes  level  full, 
no  more,  each  pair  of  plates  with  the  film  sides  to- 
gether. It  is  not  necessary  to  trouble  with  the  orig- 
inal separating  strips,  which  are  more  to  keep  them 
from  sticking  together  if  damp  or  wet. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  to  keep  plates  and  ap- 
paratus dry.  A  soaking  is  well-nigh  fatal  to  a  cam- 
era, or  to  plates,  especially  if  they  are  packed  in  close 
contact.  The  exposed  plates  I  pack  thus  for  con- 
venience, but  keep  them  very  carefully  in  my  personal 
baggage.  Most  if  not  all  plate-manufacturers  now 
pack  the  plates  with  the  coated  surfaces  separated, 
and  I  would  not  use  any  put  up  otherwise. 

On  one  occasion  in  my  experience  had  they  not 


222  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

been  so  packed,  I  should  have  lost  half  my  stock 
where  they  could  not  be  replaced.  It  was  on  an  ex- 
pedition among  the  Florida  keys.  The  heavy  boxes 
of  plates  were  stored  in  the  hold  of  our  vessel,  and 
one  night  the  craft  sprang  a-leak.  In  the  morning 
the  crates  were  half  submerged.  By  putting  the  in- 
dividual dozen-plate  boxes  on  the  deck  in  the  breeze, 
they  finally  dried  out,  and  only  the  rims  were  spoiled, 
where  the  strips  stuck  to  them.  Had  the  faces  been 
in  contact,  they  would  all  have  been  welded  together. 

The  problem  of  changing  plates  is  rather  a  trouble- 
some one  afield,  where  there  is  no  dark-room.  Ordi- 
narily one  must  wait  till  night,  yet  sometimes  when 
all  the  plates  in  the  holders  have  been  exposed,  one 
may  need  a  few  more  at  once  very  badly.  A 
"  changing-bag  "  will  serve  to  transfer  a  few  in  an 
emergency.  Where  I  have  been  without  one  and 
needed  plates  very  much,  I  have  managed  to  change 
a  few  successfully  under  heavy  blankets,  or  in  a  small 
closet  on  a  vessel  under  a  canopy,  with  all  cracks 
stopped  up.  Ordinarily,  however,  one  must  wait  un- 
til dark,  which  in  northern  latitudes  is  not  before  10 
P.  M.  Sometimes  I  have  had  to  do  it  in  the  open, 
as  when  exploring  the  great  mangrove  swamps  of 
southern  Florida  without  a  tent,  where  the  mosquitoes 
were  after  me  in  such  swarms  that  I  could  not  help 
mashing  some  of  them  between  the  plates  as  I  packed 
them. 

When  there  is  bright  moonlight  I  change  plates 
under  a  blanket.  Perhaps  moonlight  would  not  fog 


Home  scene  in  rookery  of  Black-Crowned  Night  Herons.     Their 
easy  pose  shows  how  perfectly  tent  conceals  photographer. 

—pp.  107-8 


View  in  Great  Blue  Heron  colony.     Taken  from  tent,  by  single 
member  of  doublet   lens. 

—pp.  196-7 


VACATION  EXPEDITIONS          223 

them,  but  I  never  take  chances  with  valuable  plates. 
When  in  a  tent  or  the  cabin  of  a  small  vessel  I  wait 
till  all  lights  are  out  and  then  work  for  an  hour  or 
two.  This  sort  of  thing,  when  kept  up  for  a  month, 
especially  when  one  arises  at  dawn,  is  certainly  ardu- 
ous. After  such  a  tour  in  Saskatchewan,  I  slept 
nearly  all  the  way  on  the  three  days'  journey  home. 
The  experience,  none  the  less,  was  most  invigorating, 
and  I  had  hundreds  of  fine  plates  to  the  good. 

It  is  well  to  learn  to  change  plates  in  the  dark, 
without  a  ruby  light,  by  feeling.  There  come  times 
when  it  is  a  great  convenience  to  be  able  to  do  this, 
and  it  is  not  as  hard  as  it  seems.  Before  extinguish- 
ing the  light,  lay  everything  out  in  order.  On  one 
side  put  the  empty  boxes  to  receive  the  plates,  previ- 
ously labelled  and  dated,  so  that  there  will  be  no 
possibility  of  confusion,  and  on  the  other  the  boxes 
of  fresh  plates,  with  the  edges  cut.  The  holders  are 
piled  directly  in  front.  As  you  take  off  the  slides, 
lay  them  and  the  holders  down  each  in  the  same  way. 
After  safely  packing  all  the  exposed  plates,  the  lamp 
may  be  lighted  and  the  ends  of  the  slides  inserted  in 
the  holders,  these  being  piled  up,  ready  for  the  in,ser- 
tion  of  the  new  plates  when  the  light  is  again  put 
out. 

On  returning  home  it  is  no  small  task  to  develop 
several  hundred  plates,  but  this  can  be  expedited  con- 
siderably. Some  like  "  tank-development,"  that  is, 
mixing  a  whole  wash-tray  of  very  weak  developer 
and  inserting  a  considerable  number  of  plates  at  once. 


224  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

I  prefer,  however,  to  give  each  plate  individual  at- 
tention. To  this  end  I  use  two  8xio  trays,  each  of 
which  will  hold  four  4x5  plates,  or  two  5x7,  and  keep 
both  going  at  once.  I  have  a  tank  of  fixing-bath, 
and  keep  the  work  up  for  hours  at  a  time,  using 
metol-hydro  developer,  fresh  and  at  maximum 
strength  for  all  rapid  exposures,  and  a  batch  that  is 
old  and  discolored  for  the  plates  with  timed  expo- 
sures. Should  one  of  these  by  mistake  get  into  the 
strong  developer,  and  the  image  quickly  appear,  take 
it  out  immediately,  rinse  it  thoroughly,  and  put  it  in 
the  other  solution.  Even  then  it  may  blacken  badly, 
but  keep  it  in  till  it  is  developed  clear  through,  and, 
if  it  is  too  dense,  reduce  it  by  the  red  prussiate  of 
potash  and  hypo  reducer. 

On  an  expedition  to  any  remote  and  interesting  lo- 
cality it  is  a  great  mistake  to  be  too  economical  in  the 
taking  of  pictures.  Do  not  "  snapshot  "  everything 
at  random,  but  make  every  exposure  carefully  and 
with  a  purpose.  Any  good  bird-subject  needs  not 
one  but  several  plates.  Some  should  be  duplicates, 
to  make  sure  of  at  least  one  good  picture,  but  also 
have  represented  as  great  a  variety  of  poses  of  the 
bird  as  possible.  This  is  notably  true  regarding 
flight  pictures.  Hardly  any  two  of  these  are  alike, 
and  often  I  have  wished  with  all  my  heart  that  I  had 
taken  more,  after  it  was  too  late.  Do  not  confine 
the  pictures  to  birds,  even  though  the  expedition  be 
one  for  ornithology,  but  take  also  a  series  to  repre- 


VACATION  EXPEDITIONS          225 

sent  the  region  and  everything  about  it  which  is  dis- 
tinctive. There  are  all  sorts  of  uses  for  such  ma- 
terial, and  one's  vision  and  opportunity  to  make  use 
of  it  will  expand  as  time  goes  on. 


BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS 


CHAPTER  XVII 

BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS 

DURING  the  off-season  the  devotee  of  the 
rod  and  reel  is  generally  supposed  to  find 
diversion  in  overhauling  his  apparatus  and 
counting  the  days  until  he  can  use  it  again.  Like- 
wise the  sportsman  with  the  gun  is  lovingly  wiping 
his  beloved  instrument  and  fingering  the  triggers, 
while  memory  and  imagination  run  riot.  The  stu- 
dent of  birds  is  never  reduced  to  such  dire  extremity, 
not  while  health  and  vigor  continue.  Yet,  though 
the  activities  of  the  field  are  extended  throughout  the 
year,  a  very  real  part  of  the  work,  fortunately,  is 
for  the  indoors  which  permits  of  the  continuance  of 
the  recreation  during  evenings,  and  especially  in  the 
inclement  periods  when  home  is  the  most  attractive 
spot  on  earth.  For  such  times  there  are  a  number 
of  lines  of  employment  and  research  in  reference  to 
birds  which  are  extremely  fascinating. 

First,  one  naturally  thinks  of  the  literature  of  the 
subject,  which  is  now  abundant,  diversified,  rich  in  in- 
terest and  excellence,  and  further  brightened  by 
admirable  illustration.  To  give  a  catalogue  and  de- 
scription of  all  the  books  on  birds  would  almost  re- 
quire a  hand-book  of  bibliography.  One  may  secure 
229 


230  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

abundant  information  at  the  public  libraries,  the 
larger  bookstores,  and  from  publishers.  Yet  some 
general  lines  of  reading  may  be  suggested. 

One  of  these  is  concerned  with  further  information 
as  to  various  birds  which  we  have  tried  in  vain  to 
find.  It  may  be  that  we  have  been  delighted  to  find 
some  uncommon  nest,  and  we  have  a  great  curiosity 
to  learn  how  other  observers  have  fared,  how  their 
experience  corresponds  with  ours.  If  it  be  that  we 
have  had  poor  success  in  finding  certain  nests,  or  have 
come  into  a  region  where  there  are  unfamiliar  species, 
I  know  from  my  own  experience  that  it  is  most  fas- 
cinating to  read  everything  that  can  possibly  be  found 
upon  the  subject.  In  this  connection,  such  a  book  as 
Chapman's  "  Warbler  Book  "  is  a  model  for  facts 
about  some  species,  being  a  mass  of  detailed  informa- 
tion from  various  observers  in  different  localities  as 
to  their  own  experiences  with  that  bird.  Major 
Bendire  began  this  line  of  writing  in  his  two  initial 
volumes  on  the  "  Life  Histories  of  North  American 
Birds,"  which  splendid  series,  unfortunately,  was 
stopped  by  his  death,  but  which  we  fervently  hope 
may  somehow  be  continued. 

Another  line  of  reading  might  be  called  the  in- 
spirational type  in  which  are  retailed  the  experiences 
of  the  author  with  the  birds  afield  and  his  thoughts 
and  descriptions  of  them  in  their  life-setting.  This 
may  be  very  artistically  and  charmingly  done,  from  a 
literary  standpoint,  as  in  the  writings  of  Frank  Bolles. 
The  hunting  of  birds  with  the  camera  instead  of  the 


BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS         231 

gun  is  opening  up  a  distinctly  new  literature,  with 
broad  possibilities.  The  economic  side  of  ornithol- 
ogy is  becoming  a  most  vital  question,  and  it  is  both 
interesting  and  useful  to  inform  oneself  upon  the  sub- 
ject. Such  a  book,  among  others,  is  that  of  Mr.  E. 
H.  Forbush,  "  Useful  Birds  and  Their  Protection," 
which  is  not  only  admirable,  but  interesting  as  well. 
If  once  we  get  started  along  some  of  these  lines,  in 
connection  with  practical  experience  afield,  it  will  open 
up  a  life-long  pleasure.  For  structural  and  scientific 
aspects,  treated  in  a  popular  way,  I  would  suggest  C. 
Wm.  Beebe's  book, — "  The  Bird," —  which  is  a  mine 
of  general  information. 

Another  line  of  recreative  effort  has  to  do  with  the 
recording  and  making  permanent  what  we  have  our- 
selves experienced.  The  writing  of  the  narrative 
journal  has  been  referred  to.  While  it  is  well  to  do 
this  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  events  have  tran- 
spired, if  careful  jottings  have  been  made  it  can  be 
left  till  the  rush  of  the  busy  season  afield  is  over, 
when  it  becomes  delightful  to  live  over  again  the 
happy  times. 

The  writing  need  not  be  for  oneself  alone.  In- 
deed, if  one  has  observed  unusual  or  interesting  epi- 
sodes of  bird-life  —  and  what  active  field-worker 
does  not?  —  such  things  ought  .to  be  shared  with  the 
public.  The  ornithological  publications  want  these 
things,  and  so  do  some  of  the  special  outdoor  period- 
icals. Many  newspapers  are  glad  to  use  items  of 
this  sort.  There  may  be  little  if  any  money  in  it, 


232,  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

yet  it  is  well  worth  while,  if  only  for  the  sake  of 
the  pleasant  acquaintances  and  associations  which  it 
secures.  The  general  literary  field  is  a  harder  one 
to  enter,  yet  from  the  ranks  of  the  amateur  contribu- 
tor the  nature-writers  of  the  future  are  to  come. 
Much  possible  inspiring  literature  may  be  lost  if  the 
new  generation  of  lovers  of  the  birds  hide  their  light 
under  the  bushel  or  bury  their  talent  in  the  earth. 

The  bird-lover  who  uses  the  camera  has  a  wide 
realm  of  fascinating  winter  or  evening  employment 
opened  up.  First,  and  possibly  more  prosaic,  yet  in- 
teresting to  the  collector,  those  negatives,  the  trophies 
of  the  chase,  must  be  cared  for.  Manila  envelopes 
or  "  negative  preservers,"  of  the  right  size,  should 
be  secured  from  the  photo  dealer,  and  each  negative 
placed  in  an  envelope,  labeled,  and  catalogued.  If 
the  series  ever  gets  as  large  as  mine  —  which  now 
numbers  some  five  thousand,  and  is  rapidly  growing 
—  this  will  take  a  good  many  evenings. 

In  various  cases  the  image  of  the  bird  needs  to  be 
enlarged,  to  make  the  best  possible  picture.  If  it 
be  perfectly  sharp  it  can  be  successfully  thrown  up 
from  two  to  four  diameters.  For  this  there  are 
various  methods.  A  single  enlargement  on  bromide 
or  velox  paper  can  be  made,  but  personally  I  prefer 
to  have  an  enlarged  negative  from  which  I  can  print 
at  will,  on  any  sort  of  paper.  For  this  I  use  the  day- 
light process,  simply  placing  two  cameras  with  long 
bellows  on  a  board  with  an  upward  slant  at  a  window 
looking  out  upon  a  clear,  unobstructed  sky  space. 


BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS         233 

They  are  set  face  to  face,  with  one  ordinary  photo- 
graphic lens  between  them  to  make  the  image,  and 
a  dark  cloth  thrown  over  the  junction  to  keep  out 
extra  rays.  The  ground  glass  is  removed  from  the 
front  camera  and  the  negative  inserted  in  its  place, 
or  set  close  in  front  if  it  be  of  larger  size  and  only 
a  part  of  it  is  needed  to  enlarge.  Then  it  is  simply  a 
matter  of  adjusting  the  bellows.  For  enlarging,  the 
front  bellows  is  short  and  the  rear  one  long,  and  vice 
versa  for  reductions  to  make  lantern  slides.  After 
securing  a  sharp  focus,  the  plate-holder  is  inserted  in 
the  rear  camera  and  an  exposure  made  by  the  bulb. 

The  same  rapid  plates  may  be  used  as  afield,  if 
more  convenient,  but  I  advise  securing  a  slower  grade, 
which  are  easier  for  the  inexperienced  to  handle. 
With  the  latter,  with  the  lens  wide  open,  a  usual  in- 
terval for  exposure  with  a  normal  good,  rather 
plucky  negative,  would  be  about  two  seconds  against 
a  bright  sky,  and  more  according  to  the  light.  Over- 
exposure  will  make  a  flat,  gray  picture,  not  as  good 
as  the  original. 

This  process  secures  a  positive.  After  that  is  de- 
veloped, fixed,  and  dried,  some  evening  a  contact  nega- 
tive must  be  printed  from  it.  Simply  put  the  posi- 
tive in  a  printing  frame,  film  side  up,  and  lay  a  plate 
upon  it,  the  sensitized  sides  in  contact.  Expose  this 
to  a  white  light,  a  foot  away,  for  a  short  interval  and 
develop.  The  time  must  be  found  by  test,  according 
to  the  light  used.  One  or  two  seconds  is  usually 
enough  one  foot  from  an  ordinary  kerosene  lamp  or 


234  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

gaslight  turned  down  quite  low.  A  few  plates 
spoiled  in  a  good  test  will  be  well  expended,  and  the 
result  should  be  written  down  for  future  use.  If1 
rightly  timed  and  properly  developed  in  each  case, 
the  enlarged  print  should  appear  just  as  strong 
and  bright  as  the  original,  and  even  more  so,  if  de- 
sired. 

If  the  original  was  weak  or  flat,  the  final  result  can 
be  greatly  improved  by  such  a  process,  either  with 
or  without  enlargement.  Should  it  need  strengthen- 
ing only  to  a  slight  degree,  simply  develop  both  the 
new  positive  and  negative  for  contrast,  being  careful 
not  to  over-expose,  and  to  carry  the  development  to 
the  full.  If  the  original  is  decidedly  weak,  make  the 
best  possible  print  from  it  on  contrastive  glossy  velox, 
or  similar  paper,  and  then  photograph  the  print,  be- 
ing careful  to  choose  a  light  that  will  not  show  up  the 
grain  of  the  paper,  preferably  one  coming  from  both 
sides,  by  the  use  of  a  mirror.  Develop  this  for  con- 
trast, and  the  result  may  give  a  pleasant  surprise  — 
the  dead  restored  to  life. 

The  above  suggestion  was  only  for  the  enlarge- 
ment of  a  part  of  a  negative,  to  a  4x5  size.  But  to 
make  larger  negatives,  as  I  do,  from  which  to  print 
pictures  for  framing — 8xio  or  11x14  —  if  one  is 
ingenious  with  tools  it  is  not  hard  to  improvise  a  rude 
rear  camera,  merely  a  light-tight  box,  one  section  to 
slide  inside  the  other,  instead  of  having  bellows,  and 
a  place  for  the  large  holder  at  the  rear.  The  holder 
can  be  either  bought  or  made,  as,  for  that  matter,  can 


Young  Cooper's  Hawk,  just  out  of  nest. 


BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS         235 

the  camera.  To  avoid  the  expense  of  two  large 
plates  for  each  picture,  make  the  positive  by  contact, 
and  enlarge  for  the  negative.  This  can  be  done  also 
when  a  5x7  is  to  be  made  from  a  4x5. 

By  all  means  try  lantern-slides.  It  is  a  very  pretty 
process,  and  may  be  made  a  very  pleasant  social 
feature.  Buy  the  regular  lantern-slide  plates,  of  the 
uniform  American  size,  3^  inches  by  4.  To  use 
them  in  the  larger-sized  plate-holder,  either  buy  or 
make  a  frame  or  "  kit "  which  will  hold  them  in 
place,  and  mark  off  on  the  ground-glass  in  pencil  the 
exact  range  that  it  will  occupy  when  in  position  to  be 
exposed.  Then  proceed  exactly  as  above  described, 
either  reducing  the  size  if  the  whole  picture  is  wanted, 
enlarging  if  the  image  of  the  bird  is  too  small,  or, 
as  it  is  easier  if  the  size  be  right,  printing  by  con- 
tact in  the  dark-room.  Metol-hydro,  of  moderate 
strength,  makes  a  good  developer,  though  hydroqui- 
none  by  itself  is  safer  for  beginners,  if  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  room  can  be  kept  about  65  to  70  degrees. 
Brilliancy  and  detail  are  desirable  in  lantern- 
slides,  and  the  skies  usually  should  be  clear  glass.  If 
the  slide  is  overexposed  and  blackens,  do  not  hurry 
it  out  of  the  developer,  but  leave  it  till  the  image  is 
very  strong  through  the  back,  no  matter  how  black 
it  gets.  After  fixing  and  before  washing,  clear  it  to 
the  right  degree  with  the  red  prussiate  before  men- 
tioned. This  can  also  be  used  locally  to  wipe  out  all 
fog  from  the  sky  by  simply  applying  it  with  a  swab 
of  absorbent  cotton,  not  allowing  it  to  run  on  the 


236  HOW.  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

wrong  place,  and  having  water  for  rinsing  ready  for 
instant  use. 

It  is  easy  to  learn  to  color  lantern-slides  success- 
fully, which  adds  much  to  their  popular  effectiveness 
if  reasonably  well  done.  I  recommend  the  so-called 
Japanese  transparent  water-colors  which  come  in 
booklet  form,  with  the  coloring  matter  deposited  on 
the  pages,  tiny  pieces  being  snipped  off  and  put  into 
water.  It  is  very  fascinating  work  and  not  difficult. 
Buy  with  the  colors  a  booklet  about  coloring  lantern- 
slides  and  try  it.  One  can  also  in  the  same  way 
utilize  the  positives  made  in  enlarging  for  trans- 
parencies, to  be  hung  before  lamp  or  window,  colored 
if  one  wishes,  and  bound  with  a  plain  glass  over 
the  film  in  front  to  protect  it  and  a  ground  glass 
behind  to  show  off  the  picture  better,  unless  it  is  to 
be  in  front  of  a  lamp  shade,  when  the  latter  will  not 
usually  be  necessary,  and  perhaps  not  any  way. 

For  prints  to  be  colored,  a  paper  with  a  non-glossy 
matte  surface  should  be  used.  Matte  velox  or  sim- 
ilar paper  is  good,  but  platinum,  though  expensive, 
is  the  best  and  most  durable.  Platinum  requires  a 
plucky  or  brilliant  negative  as  for  solio,  and  velox  a 
soft  negative,  with  good  detail  but  not  too  strong 
contrasts.  If  the  negative  is  intended  for  velox,  the 
development  of  the  plate  should  be  stopped  sooner 
than  otherwise.  For  coloring  prints  the  ordinary 
best  water-colors  should  be  used,  and  not  the  trans- 
parent lantern-slide  colors,  which  presumably  are  all 
aniline,  and  would  probably  tend  to  fade  if  kept  in 


BIRD-WORK  FOR  INDOORS         237 

the  light.  If  the  lantern-slides  are  kept  in  boxes  or 
drawers,  they  will  not  fade  perceptibly  for  a  long 
time. 

It  is  well  to  have  albums  of  prints  of  all  pictures 
thought  worth  saving  and  keep  them  up  to  date  by 
printing,  each  winter  at  least,  the  series  of  the  pre- 
vious season.  Should  anything  happen  to  the  nega- 
tives, as  by  a  fire,  the  prints  could  be  copied,  and 
one  would  not  lose  the  whole  accumulation  of  years. 
Should  a  valuable  negative  be  lost  or  broken,  it  could 
then  be  replaced.  In  the  case  of  specially  valued 
pictures,  it  is  very  gratifying  to  have  them  framed 
on  the  walls,  enlarged  or  colored  if  desired. 

From  the  above  hints  it  can  be  seen  what  a  de- 
lightful program  of  fascinating  indoor  work  may 
be  enjoyed  by  the  bird-enthusiast.  This  will  do  much 
to  make  the  periods  of  disagreeable  weather  thor- 
oughly enjoyable  and  keep  the  mind  that  has  the  in- 
stincts of  the  naturalist  satisfied  and  content  till  the 
spring  returns,  the  birds  sing,  and  again  we  can  be 
much  of  the  time  outdoors. 


SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY 

g£A  •  ^WO  are  better  than  one  "  is  a  truth  that 
has  wide  application.  Though  it  is  per- 
•*•  fectly  possible  to  enjoy  the  birds  alone, 
the  pleasure  of  the  study  is  greatly  enhanced  by 
knowing  others  with  whom  to  share  it.  There  is 
something  so  fascinating,  so  enlivening,  about  out- 
door study  of  birds,  that  those  who  acquire  the 
taste  for  it  fall  into  a  sort  of  natural  fraternity. 
People  who  know  the  birds  are  acquainted  the  mo- 
ment they  meet. 

There  are  times,  of  course,  when  it  is  not  at  all 
necessary,  or  even  desirable,  to  have  human  company 
afield.  In  photographing  birds,  save  in  some  special 
cases  where  assistance  is  needed,  the  fewer  people 
there  are  around  the  better.  If  one  is  active  and 
agile  and  really  wants  to  "  find  things,"  it  is  a  hin- 
drance to  have  someone  along  for  whom  it  is  neces- 
sary to  be  constantly  waiting.  In  cases  requiring 
careful,  patient  observation,  company  may  prevent 
one  from  taking  time  for  the  best  work.  The  birds 
themselves  are  very  good  company. 

All  the  same,  however,  it  adds  greatly  to  the  zest 
of  the  thing  to  be  working,  through  various  chan- 
241 


242  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

nels,  with  fellow  enthusiasts.  On  many,  if  not  most, 
occasions  afield  the  presence  and  cooperation  of  an 
alert  and  enthusiastic  person  are  pleasant  and  desir- 
able. Conversation  will  help  the  time  pass  when 
birds  are  not  in  evidence.  If  the  one  is  especially 
keen  of  hearing  and  has  a  good  ear  for  songs,  and  the 
other  excels  in  quickness  of  sight,  two  will  surely  find 
more  birds  than  can  one  alone.  And,  though  they 
should  be  evenly  matched,  two  can  cover  more  ground 
than  one,  flush  more  birds,  beat  out  more  nests,  sur- 
round a  tree  or  thicket  where  birds  are  hiding. 

If  on  the  water,  two  can  row  a  boat  farther  and 
faster  than  one.  If  one  is  to  climb  a  tall  tree  to  a 
hawk's  nest  in  lonely  woods,  it  is  little  short  of  folly 
to  do  it  alone,  and  it  steadies  the  nerves  and  helps  to 
prevent  accident  simply  to  know  that  someone  is  on 
hand.  All  in  all,  it  is  very  pleasant  to  have  con- 
genial company  when  afield. 

Even  though  varying  hours  of  business  or  duty 
may  rob  us  of  desired  company  for  a  walk,  we  can 
well  afford  to  be  out  alone  often  if  there  are  fel- 
low workers  with  whom  we  can  share  experiences. 
"  Swapping  yarns  "  is  a  custom  which  will  be  popu- 
lar as  long  as  the  human  race  shall  last.  The 
search  for  birds  is  a  productive  source  of  discovery 
and  incident,  eminently  fitting  in  with  social  pur- 
poses, and,  through  comparing  experiences,  each  will 
learn  much  and  receive  a  great  deal  of  pleasure. 

In  case  one  is  just  beginning  to  study  birds,  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  try  to  induce  a  few  others  to  begin 


Pet  Sparrow  Hawk,  eating  dinner. 


Louisiana  Heron  at  nest.    Very  timid.     Photographed  from  tent. 


SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY  243 

at  the  same  time.  When  one  has  already  acquired 
some  experience  and  needs  company,  it  will  be  quite 
worth  while  to  give  others  the  benefit  of  the  experi- 
ence gained  and  try  to  lead  them  along.  If  one  will 
take  a  little  pains  to  interest  boys  and  go  afield  with 
them,  there  will  probably  be  little  trouble  in  start- 
ing a  crop  of  enthusiasts,  and  it  is  surprising  how  fast 
an  active  boy  will  "  catch  up." 

An  excellent  step  to  take,  when  there  are  a  num- 
ber of  bird-lovers  in  a  community,  is  to  organize  a 
bird-club  or  start  a  branch  of  the  Audubon  Society. 
The  latter  aims  not  only  to  protect  the  birds,  but  to 
encourage  acquaintance  with  them  as  well.  What- 
ever the  organization,  it  had  better  be  as  informal  as 
possible,  with  no  burdensome  dues  or  elaborate  rules. 
It  may  be  simply  an  agreement  to  get  together  now 
and  then  to  "  compare  notes."  If  the  members  take 
notes,  they  will  have  something  to  compare.  Dif- 
ferent ones  will  have  found  different  things  of  special 
interest,  outside  the  experience  of  the  rest,  and  it 
will  be  a  mutual  pleasure  to  give  and  receive  new  in- 
formation, or  to  compare  photographs  or  lantern 
slides  of  bird-subjects. 

Every  such  group  of  students  should  select  some 
definite  district  of  the  surrounding  country  for  in- 
vestigation and  for  working  up  a  list  of  its  bird- 
fauna, —  and  this  applies  just  as  much  to  an 
individual  working  alone  as  to  a  group.  The  town 
or  city  can  be  made  the  district.  A  county  list  is  a 
more  ambitious  undertaking.  To  do  this  well,  it  is 


244  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

desirable  to  secure  cooperation  from  observers  over 
the  county  as  widely  as  possible.  Even  if  a  county 
list  has  been  published,  it  can  be  made  an  object  to 
increase  or  revise  it. 

No  matter  who  else  are  working,  each  person 
should  keep  his  or  her  own  individual  bird-lists. 
These  may  be  the  local  list  of  the  birds  seen  in  a 
defined  locality,  the  "  annual  list "  of  the  birds  ob- 
served during  the  year,  and  the  "  life  list "  of  birds 
personally  seen  and  identified  by  the  observer.  Com- 
paring one's  own  lists  with  those  of  others  will  be 
found  a  great  source  of  pleasure.  It  goes  without 
saying  that  without  a  strict  sense  of  honor  on  the 
part  of  each  friendly  competitor,  such  work  is  im- 
possible. 

A  plan  which  could  be  carried  out  by  a  club  or 
group,  and  which  might  well  prove  stimulating  and 
amusing,  is  to  hold  a  series  of  "  hunts  for  points." 
Those  concerned  might  agree  upon  a  scale  of  values 
for  each  species  liable  to  be  found  in  the  region,  giv- 
ing each  one  a  number  representing  its  supposed  de- 
sirability and  degree  of  rarity.  One  could  be  the 
unit  of  value  of  the  most  common  birds, —  such  as 
the  robin,  chipping  sparrow,  and  others;  two  for 
birds  moderately  common,  as  the  chestnut-sided  war- 
bler, vesper  sparrow,  etc;  three  for  species  less  com- 
mon, such  as  the  scarlet  tanager,  rose-breasted 
grosbeak,  etc. ;  four  for  irregularly  distributed  species, 
or  those  hard  to  see,  like  the  grasshopper  sparrow, 
white-eyed  vireo,  rails,  etc. ;  five  for  those  rather  rare, 


SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY  245 

such  as  the  Tennessee  and  Cape  May  warblers,  yel- 
low-bellied and  olive-sided  flycatchers,  etc. ;  and  from 
ten  upwards  for  others  of  still  greater  rarity. 

The  scale  of  values,  of  course,  should  be  different 
for  the  several  seasons.  Many  birds  common  in 
summer  would  be  the  greatest  rarities  in  winter.  To 
get  up  such  a  scale  of  values  is  considerable  work  and 
needs  some  expert  advice.  Still,  no  one  would  be 
harmed  if  it  did  not  entirely  represent  true  values, 
and,  if  agreed  upon,  the  members  could  have  some 
exciting  hunts.  Such  a  pastime  is  infinitely  ahead  of 
the  brutal  one  of  shooting  for  a  maximum  record; 
it  would  be  a  hunt  for  points,  comparable  to  army 
maneuvers  in  mimic  warfare. 

On  a  given  day  each  one  in  the  game  would  put 
in  the  specified  hours  afield,  make  a  list  of  species 
identified,  and  score  accordingly.  As  more  people 
come  to  know  the  birds,  I  see  no  reason  why  such 
hunts  should  not  become  more  popular.  No  birds 
would  be  hurt,  and  all  concerned  would  get  some 
glorious  exercise  and  have  a  splendid  time.  An  even- 
ing could  be  devoted  to  the  judging  of  lists,  hearing 
stories  of  the  hunt,  and  awarding  prizes.  A  simpler 
form  of  competition  would  be  on  the  basis  of  the 
largest  number  of  species  seen,  the  rarest  or  most 
difficult  bird  to  find,  and  so  on. 

The  interest  attaching  to  the  making  of  a  list  of 
birds  personally  identified  is  much  greater  than  one 
would  at  first  imagine.  Especially  when  the  list  has 
grown  to  goodly  proportions,  the  desire  to  add  to 


246  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

it,  or  to  surpass  someone  else,  will  set  one  to  read- 
ing the  bird-books  eagerly  to  see  how  or  where  to 
find  this  or  that  bird,  and  send  one  off  on  all  sorts 
of  adventurous  trips,  to  explore  some  mountain,  for- 
est tract,  bog,  or  what  not,  and  there  will  be  a  fine 
spice  of  zest  served  with  the  simple  lunch  afield. 
Though  I  am  blessed  with  a  normally  healthy  ap- 
petite, I  can  truthfully  say  that  I  would  not  hesitate 
for  a  moment  between  the  best  banquet  that  any  ca- 
terer could  serve  and  a  package  in  the  pocket  contain- 
ing two  sandwiches  and  a  slice  of  cake  or  a  few 
cookies  to  be  eaten  on  a  bird-hunt  with  some  quest 
in  view  which  inspired  my  enthusiasm.  I  would 
choose  the  latter  without  a  moment's  delay. 

Any  bird-lover  can  have  the  privilege  of  alliance 
with  the  fraternity  of  those  like-minded,  not  only  in 
one's  own  locality,  but  in  very  broad  relations. 
Every  bird-lover  in  America  would  be  welcomed  in 
the  two  great  representative  organizations,  "  The 
American  Ornithologists*  Union  "  and  "  The  Audu- 
bon  Society,"  and  be  stimulated  by  acquaintance, 
either  personally  at  meetings,  by  correspondence,  or 
through  the  published  organs  of  these  societies,  with 
the  most  active  and  successful  workers.  The  beginner 
should  certainly  subscribe  for  Bird-Lore,  the  popular 
organ  of  the  Audubon  Society,  and,  if  the  interest  in 
birds  does  not  abate,  for  The  Auk,  which  is  the  lead- 
ing scientific  publication  of  America.  The  latter  is 
not  unduly  technical  in  character,  but  it  gives  the  lat- 
est discoveries  and  researches  in  ornithology  and  is  ab- 


SOCIAL  BIRD-STUDY  247 

solutely  essential  to  one  who  takes  any  serious 
interest  in  the  study.  It  is  published  by  "  The  Ameri- 
can Ornithologists'  Union  "  and  is  sent  without  fur- 
ther charge  to  members.  Inquiries  should  be  ad- 
dressed to  the  office  of  the  National  Association  of 
Audubon  Societies,  141  Broadway,  New  York  City, 
and  to  the  treasurer  of  the  American  Ornithologists' 
Union  at  134  West  yist  Street,  of  the  same  city. 

These  magazines  furnish  a  bond  of  union  between 
bird-lovers  all  over  the  country,  and  the  editors  are 
glad  to  hear  from  all  who  have  items  of  interest 
about  birds.  No  one  who  intelligently  tries  to  know 
the  birds  is  working  alone,  and  all  can  feel  that 
though  they  may  live  in  the  remotest  spots,  they  can 
easily,  if  they  will,  be  in  touch  with  kindred  spirits 
everywhere. 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS 


CHAPTER  XIX 

BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS 

IN  securing  the  introduction  of  musical  study  into 
the  public  schools  of  a  New  England  country 
town,  I  had  occasion  to  consult  the  opinion  of 
a  prosperous  farmer  who  was  considered  to  be  among 
the  more  intelligent  men  of  the  community.  His 
answer,  as  nearly  as  I  can  quote  it,  was  as  follows: 
"  The  young  ones  in  our  schools  can't  half  of  them 
read  so  you  can  understand  them.  I  say,  before  we 
teach  them  anything  more,  they  had  better  learn  how 
to  read!" 

This  attitude,  once  common,  especially  in  rural 
communities,  is  now,  fortunately,  buried  largely  un- 
der the  advance  of  more  liberal  views.  The  tend- 
ency is  rather  in  the  opposite  direction,  to  interest 
the  young  in  many  departments  of  knowledge,  so 
that  they  will  want  to  read.  Sometimes  the  curric- 
ulum may  be  overcrowded,  and  this  extreme,  of 
course,  must  be  avoided.  The  need  is  to  find  a 
proper  balance  and,  for  one  thing,  not  to  so  magnify 
any  one  aspect  of  education  as  to  crowd  out  things 
which  have  an  important  bearing  upon  life's  main 
human  interests. 

A  great  many  people  to-day  are  beginning  to  ask 
251 


252  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

whether  mental  training  must  be  confined  largely  to 
matters  which  few  people  care  permanently  about 
and  which  after  graduation  are  promptly  forgotten. 
Is  there  not  as  much  intellectual  stimulus  in  things 
with  a  human  interest,  which  really  enter  into  the 
natural  furnishing  of  human  life?  People  observe 
that  prices  of  staple  goods  are  constantly  soaring, 
that  agriculture  is  handicapped  for  want  of  men,  and 
yet  that  hosts  of  graduates,  whether  from  city  or 
country,  are  overcrowding  the  professions  and  seden- 
tary employments.  There  is  more  than  a  suspicion 
that  our  past  system  of  education  somehow  spoils 
many  people  for  their  surroundings  and  fails  to  de- 
velop them  along  the  lines  of  their  natural  and  proper 
interests.  If  some  say  that  only  antiquities  and  phi- 
losophies give  properly  sharpened  intellects,  it  may 
be  an  open  question  whether  we  are  not  overstocked 
with  that  particular  brand  of  intellect.  The  fact  is 
that  we  have  been  training  all  children  alike  for  city 
life,  giving  country  children  a  prejudice  against  the 
country.  So  we  pay  the  penalty. 

Nature  is  so  varied  and  wonderful  that  it  would 
be  strange  if  there  could  be  found  no  proper  mental 
training  in  knowing  her  many  aspects  and  under- 
standing her  marvelous  ways.  This  is  an  age  of 
science,  and  the  comforts  and  advantages  of  our 
modern  civilization  have  come  largely  through  studies 
of  nature,  learning  how  to  utilize  her  processes.  It 
is  manifestly  unfair  to  our  children  to  equip  them 
with  a  purely  scholastic  outfit  and  leave  them  really 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        253 

unequipped  for  their  environment  in  a  material 
world.  I  believe  that  we  are  now  on  the  borders  of 
a  tremendous  upheaval  in  education.  Within  a  few 
years  children  will  be  allowed  to  understand  better 
the  world  in  which  they  live.  Even  the  city  child 
needs  to  know  the  natural  world,  as  a  source  of  im- 
mense benefit  and  delight.  In  the  country  schools 
emphasis  will  certainly  be  laid  upon  the  various 
phases  of  nature. 

One  general  phase  of  the  new  education  will  be  to 
train  the  faculty  of  observation  by  teaching  and  en- 
couraging the  young  to  investigate,  to  see  things  for 
themselves,  and  to  draw  their  own  conclusions.  The 
training  of  the  faculty  of  observation  is  one  of  the 
great  avenues  to  business  success,  which  in  these  days 
comes  through  original  observation  in  seeing  oppor- 
tunities or  possibilities,  and  working  them  out.  This 
element  is  important  in  every  calling,  whether  it  be 
a  "  profession,"  agriculture,  manufacture,  or  com- 
merce. And  surely  there  is  just  as  effective  a  means 
of  training  the  mind  through  science  as  by  Latin 
classics,  useful  as  is  the  latter  method.  Every  child 
alive  ought  to  have  some  training  in  nature-study. 
Not  only  will  it  be  a  means  of  mental  stimulus,  but 
a  moral  good  in  occupying  attention  with  things  that 
are  wholesome  and  worth  while  and  a  physical  bene- 
fit in  imparting  interest  in  outdoor  things  to  entice  the 
young  into  the  open. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  such  work  in  the  schools  is 
being  quite  generally  begun.  Many  cities  and  towns 


254  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

are  at  the  present  time  introducing  it.  Without 
doubt  it  will  soon  become  universal,  and  to  the  next 
generation  it  will  seem  amazing  that  children  were 
ever  allowed  to  grow  up  ignorant  of  the  world  in 
which  they  live.  How  far  the  movement  has  at 
present  gone  can  be  suggested  by  the  response  to  a 
circular  letter  recently  sent  out,  for  another  pur- 
pose, to  supervising  principals  by  Mr.  E.  C.  Stiles,  su- 
pervisor of  schools,  West  Haven,  Connecticut.  Out 
of  twenty-three  answers  at  present  available,  thirteen 
reported  nature-study  in  the  curriculum,  and  of  these 
eleven  included  bird-study  in  that  course.  These 
schools  were  of  the  better  class. 

Along  this  line,  as  a  sign  of  the  times  showing  that 
the  public  are  beginning  to  realize  the  necessity  of 
conserving  the  great  national  asset  of  bird-life  in 
order  to  save  our  harvests  and  trees  from  insect  pests, 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  at  the  last  session  of  the 
legislature  of  Illinois  a  bill  was  passed  making  it 
mandatory  that  every  teacher  shall  give  at  least  half 
an  hour  each  week  to  instruction  in  kindness  to  ani- 
mals and  in  bird  study.  It  is  also  provided  that  in 
case  of  failure  to  do  this  there  shall  be  a  forfeit  of 
part  of  the  salary.  It  certainly  looks  as  though  the 
coming  generations  in  that  State  would  have  intel- 
ligent ideas  as  to  the  value  of  bird-life,  and  we  are 
not  rash  in  believing  that  the  same  thing  will  be  true 
of  other  States  than  Illinois,  through  similar  methods. 

This  movement  is  so  new  that  it  is  still  in  the  form- 
ative and  tentative  stage,  and  no  one  approved  and 


Flicker  near  low  nest-hole  by  road.     Camera  set  on  fence. 

— p. 105 


Industrious   Downy    Woodpecker  at  work. 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        255 

authorized  system  or  grading  in  teaching  nature- 
study  has  yet  become  recognized  and  adopted.  Su- 
pervisors and  teachers  are  as  yet  thrown  considerably 
upon  their  own  resources.  There  are  no  particular 
books  which  are  required  to  be  used.  Yet  there  is 
one  main  principle  upon  which  there  is  general  agree- 
ment, that  just  as  far  as  possible  this  line  of  study 
is  to  be  drawn  from  nature  itself,  rather  than  from 
books.  Books  may  be  used  as  aids,  yet  unless  the 
pupil  can  be  induced  to  get  acquainted  with  the  bird, 
flower,  or  whatever  it  may  be,  outdoors  in  its  natural 
surroundings,  or  be  inspired  and  interested  through 
the  indoor  study  to  seek  them  out,  the  main  good  of 
the  course  is  lost.  One  teacher  told  me  that  she 
would  rather  have  a  pupil  know  one  bird  in  wild  life 
than  ten  from  pictures  or  descriptions.  The  arous- 
ing of  intelligent  interest  in  the  outdoor  world  is  the 
supreme  purpose  of  this  work,  not  the  cramming  of 
the  child  with  a  mass  of  facts  for  class-room  recita- 
tion. 

All  this  is  distinctly  encouraging  for  the  average 
teacher.  To  teach  bird-study,  for  instance,  one  need 
not  be  a  trained  ornithologist.  That  would  be  un- 
reasonable to  expect.  But  any  teacher  can  have  an 
interest  in  the  great  outdoors,  and  have  or  gain  an 
ordinary  knowledge  of  some  of  the  more  familiar 
birds,  animals,  flowers,  trees,  and  processes,  and  in- 
spire the  children  to  become  familiar  with  them. 
About  the  birds,  for  instance,  teacher  and  pupils  may 
frankly  learn  together.  Wise  teachers,  who  read  the 


256  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

signs  of  the  times,  are  fitting  themselves  along  this 
line.  Some  are  attending  summer  schools  with  this 
in  view.  This  line  of  work  is  now  taken  up  in  most, 
if  not  all,  normal  training  schools,  and  it  must  hence- 
forth be  considered  a  necessary  part  of  the  training 
of  a  well-equipped  teacher  to  know  the  rudiments  of 
the  natural  sciences,  with  a  view  to  being  able  to 
teach,  or  lead,  in  this  inspirational  way. 

It  is  no  excuse  for  not  teaching  the  children  any- 
thing about  the  natural  world  that  the  curriculum  is 
already  overcrowded.  If  that  is  true,  so  much  the 
worse  for  the  curriculum.  It  is  clearly  wrong  if  the 
young  must  learn  only  books  and  little  or  nothing  of 
their  surroundings  in  the  world.  This  must  be  set 
right,  even  if  the  whole  theory  and  plan  of  education 
has  to  be  changed,  from  kindergarten  to  university. 
Indeed  there  is  a  growing  conviction  among  educators 
that  more  about  nature  must  be  taught  in  the  gram- 
mar grades  and  certain  other  things  be  postponed  or 
omitted. 

The  time  to  begin  is  not  in  the  high  school,  but 
with  young  children,  before  their  tastes  and  habits 
are  formed.  Some  teachers  even  begin  in  the  first 
grade.  And  why  not,  since  by  nature  every  little 
child  is  passionately  fond  of  the  animals  and  birds? 

This  is  also  suggestive  as  to  where  to  begin;  of 
course,  with  the  common  local  wild  birds  and  ani- 
mals, especially  the  birds,  because  the  wild  mammalia 
are  mostly  scarce  or  nocturnal,  whereas  the  birds  are 
the  forms  most  easily  observed.  In  my  own  school 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        257 

experience  as  a  pupil,  we  began  with  infusoria  and 
the  lower  forms  of  life  and  worked  up  toward 
higher  orders.  This  only  came  in  the  high  school 
and  from  books.  This  was  the  wrong  order,  at  the 
wrong  time,  in  the  wrong  way. 

Some  of  the  larger  schools  already  have  teachers 
of  nature-study,  or  natural  science,  giving  pupils  the 
benefit  of  trained  enthusiasts,  which  is  an  excellent 
plan.  In  many  other  cases  it  will  prove  feasible  to 
have  supei visors  of  nature-study  for  groups  o£ 
schools,  as  they  do  for  music  or  art  work.  But  in 
the  smaller  schools,  and  in  country  towns,  for  years 
to  come  the  dependence  must  be  upon  the  average 
teacher. 

The  course  in  nature  study,  beginning  with  birds 
and  animals,  usually  includes  lessons  in  flowers  and 
trees,  and  sometimes  a  little  popular  geology  and 
astronomy,  with  chemistry  and  physics  later.  I  sug- 
gest adding  to  it  the  common  facts  of  meteorology, — 
the  cause  of  wind,  storm,  rain,  dew,  frost,  and  so 
on,  things  which  are  matters  of  daily  observation  and 
interest  with  everyone. 

For  the  guidance  of  teachers  who  wish  to  get  some 
general  ideas  of  how  to  teach  bird-study,  I  will  briefly 
describe  some  of  the  methods  now  in  use.  Most 
teachers  use  the  Audubon  Society  chart  of  common 
birds,  and  some  of  the  Perry  pictures,  to  show  the 
pupils  what  the  particular  birds  under  discussion  are 
like.  These  should  be  used  as  means  to  help  them 
to  recognize  the  birds  when  they  see  them  outdoors. 


258  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

The  usual  method  is  to  select  certain  species  of 
birds  which  are  common  in  the  locality  and  learn  the 
main  facts  of  their  lives,  as  far  as  possible  from 
personal  observation  of  the  living  birds.  If  they 
know  the  bird  in  life,  they  are  apt  to  be  interested 
in  it,  and  are  glad  to  supplement  their  knowledge  of 
their  little  friend  by  what  they  can  read  or  hear.  In 
connection  with  this  study  of  specific  kinds  of  birds, 
teachers  also  impart  general  information  as  to  such 
matters  as  food,  travels,  nesting,  structure,  classifica- 
tion, and  so  on,  according  to  the  grade  of  the  pupils, 
and  in  a  style  adapted  to  their  age. 

Whenever  it  is  possible,  the  teacher  should  show 
children  the  birds  outdoors.  This  is  often  impos- 
sible, yet  in  the  country  birds  can  frequently  be  found 
right  around  the  schoolhouse.  I  was  once  visiting  a 
school  close  by  which  there  were  blossoming  apple- 
trees,  which  were  fairly  alive  with  migrant  warblers 
and  other  resident  birds,  and  I  was  able  to  point  out 
to  the  children  quite  a  number  of  kinds  right  from 
the  window.  The  teacher  should  try  to  know  at  least 
the  more  common  birds  from  life.  A  school  super- 
intendent, in  visiting  a  certain  school,  heard  the 
teacher  give  a  lesson  on  the  house  wren.  She  was 
doing  it  from  a  book,  while  all  the  time  a  wren  was 
singing  lustily  close  by  an  open  window.  The 
teacher,  in  reply  to  a  question  by  the  supervisor,  who 
knew  the  bird,  replied  that  she  had  never  seen  a 
wren  and  had  never  heard  its  song! 

Miss   Abby   P.    Churchill,    instructor    in   natural 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        259 

science  in  the  State  Normal  School,  Fitchburg,  Mas- 
sachusetts, has  sent  me  an  outline  of  her  very  excel- 
lent course  in  bird-study,  which  I  quote  in  part.  She 
says: 

"  I  try  in  the  first  grade  —  or  in  any  grade,  if  the 
children  are  beginners  in  bird-lore  —  to  have  them 
realize  what  wonderful  little  creatures  birds  are. 
They  never  tire  of  talking  about  what  birds  do, 
what  they  eat,  how  they  build  their  nests,  etc.  The 
'First  Book  of  Birds'  and  'Bird  World'  have 
good  material  for  this  purpose.  Some  of  the  head- 
ings are:  Bird  Cradles,  Baby  Birds,  How  Birds 
Change  Their  Clothes,  What  Birds  Eat,  A  Bird's 
Education,  What  Birds  Do  in  Rainy  Weather,  A 
Bird's  Travels,  How  Birds  Work  for  Us,  How  We 
Can  Help  the  Birds. 

"  I  try  to  have  each  child  in  a  certain  grade  be- 
come acquainted  with  a  specified  number  of  birds,  in- 
creasing the  number  in  successive  grades.  I  tried  at 
first  assigning  certain  species,  but  found  it  impracti- 
cable for  the  reason  that  some  species  would  be  so 
rare  some  years. 

"  In  teaching  individual  birds,  I  think  the  first  im- 
pressions ought  to  be  obtained  from  the  bird  itself. 
With  normal  students,  however,  I  find  that  descrip- 
tions beforehand  are  helpful. 

"  After  the  children  have  been  for  a  walk,  I  have 
them  find  the  pictures  of  the  birds  they  have  seen 
and  post  them  on  the  bulletin  board.  They  thus 
serve  as  reminders  while  we  are  talking  about  the 


260  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

birds.  I  sometimes  make  a  list  of  arrivals  after  the 
manner  of  a  hotel  register.  For  example :  *  The 
Bluebird  registered  in  Fitchburg  this  morning.  How 
long  will  he  stay  ? '  *  The  White-throated  Sparrow 
has  registered  for  a  short  stay.  He  is  on  his  way 
to  his  summer  home.' 

"  I  find  that  children  are  more  interested  in  a  bird's 
disposition  and  in  his  character  than  in  his  personal 
appearance.  It  was  for  that  reason  that  I  made  my 
collection  of  quotations.  [Miss  Churchill  has  com- 
piled a  neat  volume  of  186  pages  with  a  title  which 
adequately  describes  it, — *  Birds  in  Literature.']  I 
like  to  speak  of  them  as  testimonials  that  have  been 
written  by  people  competent  to  judge.  Children  al- 
ways like  legends,  and  certain  of  the  poems  they  en- 
joy very  much,  but  they  like  best  of  all  the  charac- 
terization of  the  songs  by  words. 

"  In  the  sixth  year  we  group  the  birds  according 
to  color.  In  the  seventh  grade,  as  the  birds  arrive, 
we  place  them  in  guilds,  using  the  classification  used 
by  Mabel  Osgood  Wright  in  her  '  Citizen  Bird,' 
namely :  '  Ground  Gleaners,  Tree  Trappers,  Seed 
Sowers,  Sky  Sweepers,  Wise  Watchers,  Cannibal 
Birds.'  In  our  highest  grammar  grade  we  correlate 
bird  study  with  forestry,  taking  it  under  the  heading 
1  Friends  of  Trees.'  The  Davis  Press  of  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  publishes  a  set  of  outline  drawings  of 
birds  that  are  good  for  coloring.  Bird-Lore  also 
has  good  ones,  but  any  teacher  can  make  hectograph 
copies." 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        261 

These  practical  suggestions  by  Miss  Churchill  are 
admirable,  and  should  be  widely  utilized. 

Pending  a  formal  placing  of  the  study  of  birds,  as 
a  branch  of  nature-study,  in  the  regular  curriculum, 
the  subject  is  often  studied  without  studying.  In 
many  a  schoolroom  the  Audubon  Society  colored 
chart  of  common  birds  hangs  upon  the  wall,  and 
most  of  the  children  recognize  every  one  of  these  spe- 
cies which  is  numerous  in  their  vicinity.  Some  teach- 
ers encourage  independent  research  by  having  a 
school  or  class  "  bird-list,"  consisting  of  the  names  of 
species  of  birds  identified  by  the  children,  posted  on 
the  wall.  Whoever  first  reports  a  bird  has  the  cov- 
eted honor  of  having  the  discoverer's  own  name  fol- 
low the  name  of  the  bird  on  the  list.  This  often 
arouses  great  interest  and  sets  bright  eyes  scouring 
the  outdoors.  Some  birds  are  to  be  found  in  the 
average  city,  notably  in  large  parks,  and  more  in  the 
suburbs,  but  it  needs  a  teacher  who  knows  the  birds 
to  conduct  a  school  bird-list. 

Some  other  things  which  are  done,  or  may  be  done, 
are  as  follows:  Interesting  nature-books  are  pro- 
vided in  the  school  library;  stories  are  read  about 
phases  of  bird-life  or  incidents  of  birds,  and  the  pu- 
pils are  asked  for  short  essays  about  them;  original 
investigation  can  be  encouraged  by  the  offer  of  prizes 
for  the  best  accounts  of  observations  and  discoveries 
afield  relating  to  bird-habits;  one  or  more  illustrated 
lectures  on  birds  are  provided  each  year  in  many 
schools.  Another  pleasant  feature  of  this  move- 


262  HOW  TO  STUDY  BIRDS 

ment  is  that  teachers  often  go  afield  with  their  pu- 
pils, and  by  so  doing  are  not  only  able  to  guide  their 
observations  and  show  them  how  to  work,  but  also 
come  into  friendly  sympathy  with  them  and  thus  se- 
cure far  more  influence  than  contact  in  the  school- 
room would  make  possible. 

This  informal  study  of  birds  as  it  is  now  being 
conducted  is  accomplishing  another  very  desirable 
end  in  arousing  a  spirit  of  kindliness  and  thoughtful- 
ness  for  the  feelings  of  others.  When  boys  are 
taught  to  enjoy  and  appreciate  birds  and  animals, 
stoning,  tormenting,  and  nest-robbing  are  no  more. 
The  lessons  of  conservation  and  protection  are  well 
learned,  and  presently  there  will  have  grown  up  a 
strong  body  of  sentiment  which  will  reveal  itself  in 
wise  laws  for  the  protection  of  bird  and  animal  life, 
and  in  further  measures  for  the  conservation  of  all 
our  national  resources.  Those  who  are  thoughtful 
of  animals  will  also  tend  to  respect  the  feelings  and 
rights  of  their  own  kind,  so  that  these  studies  cannot 
help  but  make  better  men  and  women. 

Only  a  small  amount  of  time  need  be  devoted  to 
these  studies  of  the  natural  world,  which,  as  has  al- 
ready been  proved  by  actual  test,  can  be  gained 
through  a  little  economy  here  and  there,  without  in 
any  way  lessening  the  effectiveness  of  other  branches. 
Such  studies  come  more  as  a  relaxation  than  a  bur- 
den to  young  minds  which  naturally  delight  in  out- 
door things  and  are  felt  to  be  of  inestimable  value 


BIRD-STUDY  FOR  SCHOOLS        263 

in  creating  an  attitude  of  more  vital  touch  and  har- 
mony with  the  natural  surroundings  of  life  and  a 
deeper  enjoyment  and  appreciation  of  the  beautiful 
things  of  the  world  in  which  we  live. 


INDEX 

Activity  needed,  42. 

Albino,  116. 

Albums,  237. 

American  Ornithologists'  Union,  246. 

Arrivals,  March,  78;  April,  79;  May,  81 ;  July,  116;  August,  117; 

September,  117;  October,  121;  Winter,  127;  Record,  75. 
Audubon  Society,  21,  219,  243,  246. 
Auk,  137,  164,  165,  209. 

Baiting  Birds,  164,  199,  208. 
Baldpate,  160. 

Beginnings,  15;  Best  time  for,  65. 
Biological  Survey,  21,  76,  78. 
Bird  Clubs,  243;  Hunts  for  points,  244. 
Bird-Lore,  127,  246. 

Bittern,  American,  156,  158,  195;  Least,  156. 
Blackbird,  40,    116,   120,   134;   Crow,  45,  51,  77,  90,   116;   Red- 
Winged,  56,  64,  77,  95,  116,  122,  130. 
Bluebird,  40,  69,  77,  88,  95,  105,  120,  122,  130. 
Bobolink,  54,  64,  71,  116,  120. 
Books  on  birds,  229. 
Brant,  164. 
Buzzard,  144;  Black,  136,  144;  Turkey,  136,  144. 

Camera:  Carrying-case,  173;  Concealing,  189;  Hunting  and 
Equipment,  169,  179;  Ordinary,  170,  183,  203;  Reflecting, 
171,  203,  211 ;  Type  of,  169,  171. 

Canvasback,  195. 

Cardinal,  131,  137. 

Catbird,  55,  88,  95,  101. 

Cedar-bird,  see  Waxwing. 

265 


266  INDEX 

Chat,  Yellow-breasted,  54,  88,  106. 

Chewink,  40,  54,  67,  92,  96,  106. 

Chickadee,  26,  92,  96,  129. 

Chicken,  Mother  Carey's,  see  Petrel 

City  birds,  15,  101,  III. 

Classes  of  birds,  25. 

Clothing,  33. 

Collecting,  16,  96,  169. 

Coloring  lantern-slides,  236;  prints,  236. 

Coot,  American,  156,  158,  195. 

Cormorant,  137,  156,  164;  double-crested,  137,  157. 

Cowbird,  54,  65,  69,  79,  103. 

Creeper,  Brown,  40,  122,  131 ;  Black  and  White,  see  Warbler. 

Crossbill,  132,  135;  Red,  131;  White-winged,  131. 

Crow,  58,  70,  79,  90,  130,  146. 

Cuckoo,  39,  56,  189;  Black-billed,  56;  Yellow-billed,  56. 

Curlew,  160;  Hudsonian,  162. 

Dabchick,  see  Grebe,  Pied-billed. 

Departure  of  birds,  117,  122. 

Dove,  Ground,  137;  Mourning,  69;  Dovekis,  137. 

Dowitcher,  161. 

Duck,  94,  156,  159,  164,  208,  220;  Black,  see  Dusky;  Dusky,  93, 

136,  156;  Eider,  137,  157,  164;  Greater  Scaup,  164;  Harlequin, 

137,  165;  King  Eider,  165;  Lesser  Scaup,  164;  Ruddy,  160; 
Wood,  93,  156. 

Dunlin,  see  Sandpiper,  Red-backed. 

Eagle,  144;  Bald,  90,  136,  144;  Golden,  136,  144. 

Enlarging,  232. 

Equipment,  28. 

Esthetic  value  of  birds,  21. 

Exercise,  127,  128. 

Exposure,  Time  of,  186,  190,  205. 

Falcon,  see  Hawk,  Pigeon. 
Fascination  of  birds,  18. 
Feeding  the  birds,  129. 
Fields,  birds  in,  54,  120,  131. 
Films,  175. 


INDEX  267 


Finch,  120,  122;  Purple,  54,  77,  80,  92,  96,  130. 

Flicker,  52,  79,  92,  105,  120,  130. 

Flocking,  115,  118. 

Flycatcher,  40,  120;  Crested,  52;  Least,  52. 

Focus-cloth,  175. 

Gallinule,  Florida,  156,  158. 

Gannet,  137,  164. 

Garden,  Birds  of,  50,  53,  117. 

Glasses,  Field  or  opera,  28,  29. 

Golden-eye,  American,  164. 

Goldfinch,  39,  53,  130. 

Goosander,  136,  156. 

Goose,  157;  Canada,  160. 

Goose-neck  holder  for  camera,  176. 

Goshawk,  135,  143,  151. 

Crackle,  51,  69,  91;  Purple,  106;  Rusty,  69,  122. 

Grebe,  136,  156,  159,  164;  Eared  (American)  159,  195;  Holboell's, 

159,  164;  Horned,  156,  159,  164. 

Grosbeak,  Evening,  134;  Pine,  131;  Rose-breasted,  55,  68,  106. 
Grouse,  Ruffed,  57,  91,  93,  120,  130. 
Guillemot,  137,  164,  209;  Black,  137,  156. 
Gull,  136,  156,  210;  Great  black-backed,  136;  Herring,  136,  156; 

Laughing,  157. 
Gunning-stand,  On  the,  160. 

Handbook,  29. 

Hawk,  88,  93,  121,  135,  147,  150;  American  rough-legged,  135, 
142;  Broad-winged,  143,  146;  Cooper's,  136,  143,  146,  151, 
193,  207;  Duck,  143;  Ferruginous  rough-leg,  144;  Fish,  142, 
146,  210;  Hen,  142,  151;  Marsh,  142,  146;  Pigeon,  143;  Red- 
shouldered,  63,  106,  135,  142,  145;  Red-tailed,  135,  142,  145, 
151;  Sharp-shinned,  136,  143,  146,  149,  151;  Sparrow,  136, 
143,  146;  Swainson's,  144. 

Heron,  138,  156,  208,  210;  Black-crowned  night,  67,  156,  198; 
Great  blue,  156,  158,  196;  Green,  156,  158. 

Home  birds,  49,  53,  101,  1 12. 

Hummingbird   (Ruby-throated),  39,  51,  59,  88,  96. 


268  INDEX 

Ibis,  138. 

Identifying  birds,  25,  39,  45. 

Indigo-bird,  54. 

Indoor  work,  229,  237. 

Inquiry  afield,  147. 

Jaeger,  163,  208;  Long-tailed,  163;  Parasitic,  163;  Pomarine,  163. 
Jay,  Blue,  39,  58,  63,  67,  70,  91,   129,   137,  200;   Canada,   135; 

Florida,  138. 

Journal  keeping,  32,  231. 
Junco,  69,  122,  130,  200. 

Kildeer,  156. 

Kingbird,  39,  52,  56. 

Kingfisher,  39,  69,  77,  91,  130. 

Kinglet,  58,  122,  131 ;  Golden-crowned,  80,  131 ;  Ruby-crowned, 

80. 

Kite,  144. 

Kittiwake,  136,  209. 
Knot,  161. 

Lantern-slides,  235;  Coloring,  236. 

Lark,  Horned,  131,  133. 

Lens,  171,  173;  Anastigmat,  172;  Telephoto,  173,  175,  198. 

Life-history  of  birds,  96. 

Lists  of  species,  243,  245. 

Localities  for  birds,  49,  59. 

Longspur,  Lapland,  131,  133. 

Loon,  18,  136,  156,  159,  164;  Red-throated,  159,  164. 

Mallard,  160. 

Mammals,  19. 

Marsh-dwellers,  156. 

Martin,  Purple,  51. 

Meadowlark,  39,  54,  69,  71,  77,  79,  91,  93,  96,  117,  120,  130,  132. 

Merganser,  157;  Hooded,  156;  Red-breasted,  157,  164. 

Methods  of  bird-study,  25,  33. 

Migration,  Fall,  115,  121;  Lanes  of,  81 ;  Spring,  75,  87. 

Mockingbird,  131,  137. 


INDEX  269 


Murre,  137. 

Music,  Bird,  see  Songs. 


Negatives,  Care  of,  232. 

Nesting  episodes,  101,  112;  Season,  87,  101. 

Nests,  Finding,  88,  92,  94;  First,  90;  Late,  95;  Raptores,  146, 

149- 

Nighthawk,  39,  58,  88. 
Notes,  Recording,  29,  43,  45,  66. 
Nuthatch,  40,  67,  90,  122,  199;  Brown-headed,  137;  Red-breasted, 

122;  White-breasted,  90,  129. 

Ocean  wanderers,  162. 

Oldsquaw,  157,  164. 

Orchard,  Birds  of  the,  52,  117. 

Oriole,  120;  Baltimore,  27,  51,  68,  92;  Orchard,  27. 

Osprey,  see  Hawk,  Fish. 

Oven-bird,  40,  57,  81,  92,  103. 

Owl,  88,  93,  135,  144,  151;  Barn,  136,  145;  Barred,  136,  144; 
Burrowing,  145 ;  Great  gray,  136,  145 ;  Great  horned,  69,  90, 
136,  144,  148,  151,  217;  Hawk,  136,  145;  Long-eared,  136, 
145,  148;  Richardson's,  136,  145;  Saw-whet,  136,  146;  Screech, 
136,  146;  Short-eared,  136,  145;  Snowy,  131,  136,  145,  151. 

Partridge,  Spruce,  135. 

Pelican,  Brown,  90;  White,  156. 

Permit,  44. 

Petrel,  37,  208;  Leach's,  157;  Wilson's,  163. 

Pewee,  Wood,  52,  58,  88. 

Phalarope,  163;  Northern,  163;  Red,  163. 

Phoebe,  52,  69,  79,  88,  91,  95. 

Photographing  adults  at  nest,   189,   190;  adults   feeding  young, 

191,   192;   colonies,  196;  nests,   185,   187;   stalking,  200,  206, 

208;  in  trees,  191,  194;  young  birds,  187. 
Photography,  developing,  184,  223;  enlarging,  232, 234 ;  Expedients 

in,   195;   hints,   183,   184;   intensifying,  231;   over-exposure, 

184;  reducing,  233. 
Pintail,  160. 
Pipit  (American),  40,  80,  122. 


270  INDEX 


Plate-holders,  174. 

Plates,  174,  221,  224. 

Plover,  137,  160;  Black-bellied,  162;  Golden,  162;   Piping,  156, 

161 ;  Semipalmated,  162;  Upland,  156. 
Positions  of  birds,  40. 
Prey,  Birds  of,  141,  151 ;  and  poultry,  151. 
Protection,  Bird,  21. 
Puffin,  164,  209. 

Quail,  67,  93,  95,  130;  Marsh,  117. 

Rail,  94,  156,  158;  Clapper,  156;  King,  156;  Virginia,  156,  158. 

Raptores,  see  Prey,  Birds  of. 

Record,  Scientific,  44,  45. 

Redhead,  160,  195. 

Redpoll,  131,  133,  135;  Hoary,  133. 

Redstart,  44,  59,  71,  88,  104. 

Reduction  of  photographs,  233. 

Reservations,  Protected,  165. 

Residents,  130. 

Ring-neck,  see  Plover,  Semipalmated. 

Robin,  49,  56,  68,  77,  88,  90,  95,  101,  120,  122,  132. 

Sanderling,  161. 

Sandpiper,  160;  Least,  158,  161 ;  Red-backed,  157;  Semipalmated, 

161;  Solitary,  157;  Spotted,  156;  White-rumped,  161. 
Sapsucker,  Yellow-bellied,  59,  121. 
Scarcity  of  birds,  127. 
Schools,  Bird  study  for,  251,  262;  Methods  of  teaching  in,  257, 

261. 

Scoter,  164. 

Scrub  land,  Birds  in,  54. 

Shearwater,  37,  208;  Corey's,  163;  Greater,  163;  Sooty,  163. 
Shelldrake,  136. 
Shoveller,  160. 

Shore-birds,  18,  156,  160,  162,  209;  Resorts  for,  162. 
Shrike,  Loggerhead,  137;  Northern,  131,  134. 
Siskin,  Pine,  131,  133. 
Snipe,  137;  .Wilson's,  122,  158. 


INDEX  271 

Snowflake,  131,  133. 

Social  bird  study,  241,  247. 

Songs,  59,  71;  Characteristic,  63;  Notation  of,  66;  Resemblances 
of,  67;  Variation  of,  70;  Write  descriptions  of,  66,  69. 

Sora,  156. 

Sparrow,  39,  95,  120;  Chipping,  49,  88,  91,  95,  115;  English,  50, 
90,  130;  Field,  50,  54,  68,  71,  79,  91,  95,  101,  115;  Fox,  40, 
66,  79,  131;  Grasshopper,  50;  Ipswich,  133;  Savannah,  50, 
95,  115;  Song,  50,  54,  70,  90,  95,  101,  105,  130;  Swamp,  56, 
70,  79,  9i,  95;  Tree,  50,  130,  200;  Vesper,  50,  69,  79,  91,  95, 
115;  White-throated,  53,  67,  122,  131. 

Squirrel,  146. 

Starling,  40;  European,  90,  106,  116,  134. 

Swallow,  39,  88,  95,  116,  119,  210;  Bank,  80;  Barn,  53,  80,  91; 
Eave,  53;  Tree,  51,  80,  122. 

Swamp,  Birds  of  boggy,  56;  Birds  of  bushy,  55. 

Swift,  Chimney,  39,  52,  81,  119,  210. 

Tanager,  Scarlet,  57,  96,  no,  in. 

Teal,  Blue-winged,  160;  Green-winged,  160. 

Teeter,  see  Sandpiper,  Spotted. 

Tent,  Hiding  or  umbrella,  177,  196. 

Tern,  156,  210;  Arctic,  157;  Black,  157;  Common,  157;  Least, 
157;  Roseate,  157. 

Thrasher,  40;  Brown,  54,  57,  81,  92,  106. 

Thrush,  40,  56;  Hermit,  53,  57,  80,  131;  Louisiana  water,  58, 
91;  Olive-backed,  53,  57,  121;  Water,  40,  58,  71;  Wilson's, 
57,  71,  92,  106,  185;  Wood,  57,  71,  92,  106,  189. 

Titmouse,  Tufted,  137. 

Towhee  (or  Chewink),  81. 

Tree-apparatus,  176. 

Tripod,   175. 

Trips  or  Expeditions;  to  Bird  Rocks,  165;  to  Cape  Cod,  163, 
164;  to  Cape  Sable,  N.  S.,  163,  164;  to  coast  promontories, 
164;  after  sea-ducks,  165;  after  shore-birds,  162. 

Veery,  see  Thrush,  Wilson's. 

Vireo,  40,  51;  Blue-headed,  121;  Red-eyed,  51,  57,  96,  106,  150, 


272  INDEX 

189;    Warbling,    51:    White-eyed,    55,    101,    189;    Yellow- 
throated,  51. 
Vulture,  see  Buzzard. 

Warbler,  39,  41,  44,  53,  117,  122;  Bay-breasted,  44;  Black  and 
white,  40,  58,  81,  96;  Blackburnian,  88;  Blackpoll,  44,  68, 
81,  118,  122;  Black-throated  blue,  58,  122;  Black-throated 
green,  57,  68,  81,  88,  122;  Blue-winged,  64,  65,  92,  106,  117; 
Brewster's,  64;  Canadian,  58,  117;  Chestnut-sided,  54,  106, 
117,  189;  Connecticut,  55,  95,  121;  Golden-winged,  117; 
Hooded,  58;  Kentucky,  58;  Lawrence's,  64;  Mourning,  55; 
Myrtle,  80,  122,  131;  Pine,  70;  Prairie,  54,  67,  106;  Ten- 
nessee, 83;  Worm-eating,  58,  68;  Yellow,  106;  Yellow  Palm, 
80,  122. 

Water-birds,  155,  162. 

Waxwing,  Bohemian,  133;  Cedar  (or  Cedar-bird),  40,  52,  69, 
77,  79,  120,  130,  132,  133- 

Whip-poor-will,  58,  81,  88. 

Wilier,  162. 

Winter  birds,  127,  138. 

Woodchuck,  127. 

Woodcock,  77,  79,  88,  90,  93,  106,  122. 

Woodland,  56,  58,  117,  120. 

Woodpecker,  39;  American  three-toed,  135;  Arctic  three-toed, 
135;  Downy,  92,  129,  199;  Hairy,  90,  129,  199;  Pileated, 
59.  135;  Red-bellied,  137;  Red-headed,  137. 

Wren,  Carolina,  137;  House,  51,  88,  95;  Long-billed  marsh,  56, 
96,  106,  107;  Short-billed  marsh,  56,  94;  Winter,  71,  122,  131. 

Writing  for  Publication,  230. 

Yellow-legs,   161 ;   Greater    (or  winter),   158;   Lesser    (or  sum- 
mer), 158. 
Yellow-throat   (Maryland  or  Northern),  55,  95,  106,  117. 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 


THE  SPORT  OF  BIRD  STUDY 

Mr.  Job  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  best  au- 
thorities, in  his  special  field,  and  his  present 
book  is  a  fascinating  account  of  his  experiences 
while  hunting  with  a  camera.  He  writes  with 
enthusiasm;  tells  entertaining  stories  of  the 
habits  of  the  birds  as  he  saw  them  at  short 
range;  and  has  adorned  his  narrative  with  a 
wonderful  display  of  photographs  from  life,  pic- 
tures obtained  sometimes  only  after  days  of  pa- 
tient study  of  bird  life.  The  book  is  designed 
especially  for  the  beginner  at  the  study.  One 
hundred  and  thirty-four  half-tones  from  photo- 
graphs. Cloth,  octavo.  $2.00  net. 

"  One  of  the  most  delightful  volumes  that  has 
come  from  the  publishers,  in  many  a  long  day" — 
The  St.  Louis  Republic. 


PUBLISHING  COMPANY^ 

FIFTH  AVtHUt     v.      .    y  \-      NEW  VOIU  CITY* 


DATE  DUE 


N0\ 

13  '70 

RECD  Nf 

V  B      1970 

JUi 

14  '71 

RECD 

JUM8     1 

971 

ii  ii 

q   1Q7-3 

JUL 

t-O 

1    n     1GT1 

RECD  JUL 

18  i9»3 

FEP10 

BZ6 

*CD  JAN 

3  0  197S 

GAYLORD 

PR,NTED,NU.S.A. 

000856754    4 


